Golfing Struggles
by nintendoscript15
Summary: Despite having not played golf for four years straight, Mario enters in the Cheep Cheep Falls Open to show his friends his super golfing abilities. Or so he thinks.
1. Intro

"Ladies and gentlemen, now on the tee is Mario Aristide Mario," the announcer called out to the spectators. Everyone started applauding for Mario as he approached the tee box and set his ball down on the tee.

As Mario gripped his club and took his stance, he thought to himself, "Okay. Think happy thoughts. They're all cheering for you. No one wants you to do badly."

He was so nervous since his heart was pounding fast and his hands were shaking a little bit. Mario managed to force himself to stop shaking and glanced down the fairway. Everyone suddenly quieted down to allow Mario to concentrate. After Mario looked at the ball again, he took a deep breath and began his swing.


	2. 1A - How Long Has It Been?

**HEADS-UP**

**Hey, guys. I'm nintendoscript15. First of all, I know some of you might be asking, "What is Mario doing?" "Why are we starting off with him in the middle of a golf tournament?" Well, we're gonna rewind back and show you how we got to that point. Anyway, please enjoy my second fanfiction, which is based off of **_**Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour**_**: "Golfing Struggles".**

* * *

_**Chapter 1**_

**1A - How Long Has It Been?**

_*ONE MONTH AGO*_

It's 9 AM on June 27, 2003. Mario is in his pad's dining room sipping his daily cup of coffee. Suddenly, he hears someone knocking on his front door.

"One second!" Mario called out. He got up and walked to the door to open it, revealing that Luigi is at his doorstep.

"What's up, bro?" Luigi said.

"Not much," Mario replied. "What's going on?"

"Well, I got this in the mail earlier this morning." Luigi took a flyer out of his overalls pocket and unfolded it before handing it to Mario. The flyer read, "CHEEP CHEEP FALLS OPEN. MONDAY, JULY 28 TO THURSDAY, JULY 31. REGISTER NOW. ENTRY FEE: 900 COINS. DEADLINE: FRIDAY, JULY 4. FIRST PRIZE: 200,000 COINS."

"Are you interested, Mario?" Luigi asked after Mario read the whole flyer to himself. For a few seconds, Mario stood in silence. "What's wrong?"

"I'm kind of interested... But..." Mario replied with hesitation.

"But what?"

"It's been a while since I played golf. I don't know if I have what it takes."

"How long has it been?" Luigi asked.

"I'm not sure..." Mario said. He thought it over for a half-minute before remembering when he last played golf. "Hold on. I think I remember now. The last time I swung a golf club was August 1999. I barely beat this young man named Kid that day."

"Are you talking about the Links Club Tournament?" Luigi questioned.

"Yeah... It might have been that one," Mario answered. "Are you convincing me to give it a go?"

"No. It's your call," Luigi replied.

"Okay. I guess I'll try..."

"Are you sure? It'll be hard if it's been four years."

"Have you played golf often?" Mario asked.

"Twice every two weeks," Luigi said.

"So, if I'm entering in that tournament, maybe I should start practicing."

"Good thinking," Luigi stated. "How about this: I'll set up a few practice rounds at Lakitu Valley and Koopa Badlands."

"Two rounds of 18 in one day?!" Mario asked with shock.

"Not all at once. We'll take a lunch break in between the two courses."

"Thank God," Mario sighed with relief. "What time are we teeing off tomorrow?"

"Meet me at Lakitu Valley at 9:45 AM," Luigi said.

"Got it. I'll go sign up right now."

"All right-y. Goodbye, Mario," Luigi replied as he left Mario's property back to his mansion. Without hesitation, Mario headed to his office study and logged onto his computer to sign up for the Cheep Cheep Falls Open.

"It better not be a waste of money," Mario said to himself after finishing the online payment.


	3. 1B - Teeing Off at Lakitu Valley

**1B - Teeing Off at Lakitu Valley**

It's the next day at 9 sharp. Having gotten up 30 minutes ago, Mario had a quick breakfast before boarding his go-kart to drive to Lakitu Valley: a trip that takes 40 minutes without traffic.

15 minutes later, Mario's cell phone rings, prompting him to return the call immediately; Luigi was ringing him up from the Lakitu Valley Golf Club. "Hi, Luigi."

"Where are you right now?" Luigi asked.

"I'm on the road as we speak. I'll be there in about 20 minutes," Mario replied.

"Excellent. I got a call from Princess Peach and Daisy and they said they wanted to practice with us. Are you okay with that?" Luigi stated.

"Sure. I guess it would have been really boring if it was just the two of us."

"Well, it's not gonna be boring anymore, bro," Luigi responded. "I'll meet you in the lot."

"Okey-dokey. See ya," Mario said before hanging up. "Thanks for making my day, Princess Peach."

Mario pulled up at the Lakitu Valley Golf Club's parking lot at 9:44 AM. Luigi was standing near the clubhouse's front door to greet him.

"Good morning, bro," Luigi said while shaking Mario's hand.

"Hey. Where are Princess Peach and Daisy?" Mario asked.

"They're in the locker room getting dressed. You want some coffee while we're waiting?"

"No thanks," Mario replied. "I'm not in the mood for caffeine today." Both Mario and Luigi walked through the clubhouse towards the back door leading to the outside patio. Luigi got himself a decaf coffee while Mario sat near the firepit.

"You feeling confident, Mario?" Luigi asked after getting his drink.

"Yes and no," Mario replied. "I'm excited to start playing golf again; especially with Princess Peach and Daisy. But as I said yesterday, it's the first time in four years, so I don't know what's it's gonna be like."

"Don't worry, Mario. You'll get the hang of it after a couple holes. The first few are pretty easy if you ask me," Luigi answered.

While Luigi was reassuring Mario not to worry about doing badly, Mario saw a platinum trophy out the corner of his right eye.

"What are you looking at?" Luigi asked. Mario didn't answer since he started walking up to the trophy stand before Luigi followed him.

"I forgot to tell you: this is the platinum trophy for first place in last year's Lakitu Cup. If I remember correctly, the winner was this teenager named Neil. I was impressed at his golf swings; hit those balls straight almost every time."

"How do you know all that?" Mario asked.

"I just do. I've been to this club plenty of times."

Mario studied the trophy for a couple of seconds; he could see his reflection as if he was looking in a mirror.

"Someone must have done a great job polishing that trophy," he remarked.

"I know. Pretty cool, huh?" Luigi replied.

"Mario!" "Luigi!" two unseen voices called out.

Both turned to see Peach and Daisy standing near the back door.

"We're ready when you are," Peach said.

"Not yet. We need to get our clubs first," Luigi replied. "Let's-a go, bro," he said to Mario.

The four of them walked over to where the golf carts were and received their golf clubs and balls from the receptionist.

"Good luck out there," the receptionist said to the group.

"Thanks. Have a nice morning," Mario answered. Without further ado, everyone boarded Luigi's personalized golf cart before Mario started driving them to the first hole; Luigi navigated Mario along the way since he knew where all the holes were located.

The first hole of Lakitu Valley was a straight-down-the-middle fairway with a medium-sized water hazard on the right and two small bunkers on either side of the green.

After getting out his driver, Mario asked, "What order are we going in?"

Peach said in response, "I'm going first, you're second, Daisy's next, and..." She looked at Luigi. "You're up fourth, Luigi. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine with going last," Luigi replied while writing down everyone's names on the scorecard.

"Just so you all know, we're not here to compete against each other. We're here to have fun," Peach stated as she walked up to the tee box.

"She's right," Luigi said to Mario. "Take it easy and don't stress about getting the lowest score."

While Peach set her ball up, Mario glanced at the yardage behind the tee box; the hole was 363 yards long. It took six seconds before Peach made the first shot. Her ball nearly went straight and hooked a tad bit before landing 200 yards out.

"Nice shot," Daisy and Luigi said. Mario took a deep breath before walking up to the tee box.

"Here I go..." he murmured. Mario addressed his ball before taking his shot. For a second, it appeared that his form was good, but the ball sliced to the right instead of going straight before landing just short of the water hazard's right side.

"Good try, bro," Luigi said while Mario let out a sigh of disappointment.

"I knew that first swing was gonna be a bad one," Mario replied.

"It wasn't a bad swing. You'll make up for it," Luigi assured Mario.

After Daisy and Luigi did their tee shots, the group headed to the middle of the fairway and approached their respective balls. While Peach, Daisy, and Luigi made nearly identical shots, Mario had to walk all the way to the water hazard for his second shot.

"At least it didn't go in the pond," Mario said to himself. When it was his turn, Mario made his second shot, which ended up inside the treed boundary near the bottom-left of the green. His ball hooked even though he positioned himself in front of the green.

All but Mario made birdies; Mario ended up with a double bogey because he made it to the green on his fourth shot and took two putts to finish the hole.

"Is it just me, or am I putting too much power on the ball?" Mario asked Peach.

"It looked like it. You're rushing yourself to finish quickly," Peach responded.

After the group drove to the second hole, Peach said to Mario, "Slow your swing down, but not too much."

For the next three holes, Luigi was leading with a score of 11, Daisy had 13, Peach had 14, and Mario lingered behind with 19.

After the group arrived at the fifth hole, Mario asked Luigi, "Are you giving me those tips because you're a pro?"

"I'm not a pro, but I know the basics," Luigi replied. "I suggest you observe our swings and try to mirror them in addition to what Princess Peach told you before Hole 2."

Following everyone's tee shots on the fifth hole, which had a yardage of 496 yards, Mario found his ball next to a giant tree on a hill left of the fairway.

"How did it end up over there when I had good posture?" Mario asked himself. "I don't understand it."

Luigi's tee shot went out the farthest; therefore, he was the last to take his second shot. "Let's see if I can make another double eagle," Luigi said, remembering that he once hit the ball long enough for it to roll across the green and into the hole just barely.

"When was your first?" Daisy questioned.

"I don't remember, but I know it was recent," Luigi replied. Again, he addressed his ball and hit the ball straighter than his previous swings at the start of the round. The ball hit the green and bounced into the hole; Luigi could barely hear the ball go in the hole from 260 yards away.

Peach and Daisy cheered for Luigi, "Awesome!" "That was incredible!"

"Thanks, Princess Peach and Daisy," Luigi acknowledged them with excitement.

On the other hand, as soon as Luigi made the double eagle, Mario slightly lowered his head toward the ground and muttered, "Drat..."

It was 12:09 PM by the end of the Lakitu Valley practice round. Luigi ended up with a score of 57, Daisy got 60, Peach got 65, and Mario came in last with 87.

"Great round, guys," Luigi said while high-fiving Peach and Daisy. Mario couldn't get himself to high-five Luigi because he was so disappointed of his efforts.

"It's okay, Mario," Luigi reassured Mario while putting his hand on his shoulder. "I know it was difficult for you."

"But how am I gonna participate in the open if I keep this up?" Mario asked.

"You're not gonna keep up the high scores. More practice means better efforts."

"You need a break, Mario," Daisy said. "Why don't we get some lunch?"

"Okay..." Mario replied as the group made their way to the clubhouse's restaurant.


	4. 1C - Wario and Waluigi's Misadventures

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**To give you a heads-up, paying homage to Wario's first appearances during the Nintendo 64 era, I've decided to make Wario and Waluigi's ancestries German American although I will NOT be using the infamous quote meme said by Thomas Spindler (Wario's first voice actor). However, you'll see them speak German frequently.**

* * *

**1C - Wario and Waluigi's Misadventures**

Rewinding back to 11:59 AM, Wario and Waluigi pulled up at the Lakitu Valley Golf Club's parking lot minutes before Mario's group finished their first practice round.

"Well, here we are, man," Wario told Waluigi. "You ready to hit some long drives?"

"Ja, (_Yes._)" Waluigi replied. "I'm hoping to get at least a 55 today."

"Me too," Wario agreed as both made their way to the clubhouse to pick up their clubs and balls before boarding one of the generic golf carts.

Having arrived at Hole 1, they came across Yoshi and his friend Koopa the Quick at the tee box.

"Well, if it isn't Wario and Waluigi," Yoshi remarked.

"Guten Tag, Yoshi, (_Good afternoon, Yoshi._)" Wario greeted Yoshi. "I see that you brought one of your Koopa friends with you,"

"Yup. This is Koopa the Quick," Yoshi said. "He's said to be the fastest runner in the world,"

"Not just the fastest, but the best ever," Koopa the Quick added.

"How exactly?" Waluigi asked.

"It's that simple: I always wear these 'Koopa Mach 1 Sprint' shoes while playing sports," Koopa the Quick said while showing his shoes. Suddenly, he remembered a past memory from seven years ago.

"Hold on. I take back what I said about being the fastest. I remember Mario beating me during this race at Tiny-Huge Island by two seconds," Koopa the Quick explained. "Sorry for exaggerating."

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Wario answered.

"You know, since you're here with us, how about we play together?" Yoshi offered.

"Sicher. Lass uns das machen, (_Sure. Let's do this._)" Waluigi agreed.

"Uh, can you please say that in English?" Koopa the Quick asked.

"They're agreeing to play 18 holes with us," Yoshi whispered. It turns out that having been friends with Wario and Waluigi for a while, Yoshi is able to understand their German language.

Without further ado, Yoshi wrote down the order of who would be teeing off first: Koopa the Quick (P1), Wario (P2), Waluigi (P3), Yoshi (P4).

Making like Peach's first tee shot earlier, Koopa the Quick hit a 200-yard drive with the exception being a slightly bigger hook.

"Perfect shot!" Wario and Waluigi said.

"Thanks," Koopa the Quick thanked both. "See if you can do better than that."

"Oh, I WILL be better than you," Wario boasted as he got his driver and ball ready. "Sehen. (_Watch._)"

When it comes to golf, Wario believed it was all about power; therefore, he swung his club as hard as he could. The ball sliced way to the right towards the water hazard, shocking him in the process.

"Don't you dare..." Wario murmured. Suddenly, the ball curved left before landing on the fairway, relieving Wario from potential anger.

"I forgot that my shot doesn't just fly right all the time," Wario sighed while stepping off the tee box.

Unfortunately, for Waluigi, his ball struck an incoming bird one second after he drove it; the ball fell straight to the ground and didn't go further.

"Warum?! (_Why?!_)" Waluigi exclaimed. "Every single time I hit off the tee, a bird just flies in the way!"

"It's just a coincidence, Waluigi," Yoshi assured Waluigi. "There's a lot of birds here in Lakitu Valley."

After Yoshi made his first shot, everyone had to stay put while Waluigi walked 27 yards out for his second shot.

Despite the bird strike, the group completed the first hole with no trouble; even Waluigi made up for it by scoring a par.

"Good recovery, man," Wario congratulated Waluigi. "I promise there won't be any more birds near the tee."

"Besser nicht, (_There better not be._)" Waluigi replied.

For the next five holes, Wario proved Waluigi right about the amount of birds within the course area. At this point in time, Koopa the Quick was leading with a score of 19, Yoshi had 21, Wario had 23, and Waluigi was trailing with 26.

"Here's another fun fact: Quickster has been able to go through an entire course with nothing but birdies," Yoshi explained.

"Not this time, though," Koopa the Quick chimed in. "If I aimed better on Hole 4, I would've made a chip-in. Oh well."

On the seventh hole, Wario issued everyone a hole-in-one challenge.

"Whoever gets a hole-in-one will win a certain amount of Coins. It depends on who does it first," Wario told Yoshi, Koopa the Quick, and Waluigi.

"Ich bin dabei, (_I'm in._)" Waluigi declared.

"How much will the first one win?" Koopa the Quick asked.

"I won't tell you until after we go back to the clubhouse, but I've got it figured out already," Wario replied.

Yoshi's tee shot landed just one inch from the hole, disappointing him almost immediately. "Darn it! I was so close!"

Koopa the Quick surprised everyone as his ball hit the pin's flag and dropped directly into the hole.

"Was zum Teufel? (_What the actual heck?_)" Waluigi asked in disbelief. "Now you're going to make me lose out!"

Wario's shot landed way out on the upper part of the fringe, which further proves his obsession of powerful swings. "Urgh... Ich habe es wieder getan... (_Urgh... I did it again..._)"

Waluigi's shot also missed the hole by landing in the left-side bunker. "Vielen Dank, Quickster. (_Thanks a lot, Quickster._)" Waluigi thanked Koopa the Quick sarcastically.

"It's not on me, you know," Koopa the Quick responded.

Two holes later, Waluigi would go through bad luck again. First off, after everyone made their tee shots, Yoshi accidentally tripped over a stray septic tank lid while looking straight ahead, causing Waluigi to laugh at him.

Little did Waluigi know that Wario took his second shot from one of the bunkers, causing some of the sand to cover Waluigi.

"This is what you get for laughing at me, Waluigi!" Yoshi exclaimed.

"I didn't do anything," Waluigi lied.

"Yes, you did, liar!" Yoshi retorted as he stood back up.

"Enough already," Koopa the Quick butted in. "Let's just carry on."

Once on the green, Waluigi made his birdie putt, which missed the hole. His par and bogey putts also missed the hole, causing him to let out an angry groan.

"What did I do this time?" Waluigi asked Wario while hanging his head toward the ground.

"Du hast es eilig, weil du von diesem Bunkerschuss irritiert bist. (_You're rushing because you're irritated from that bunker shot._)" Wario replied quietly.

Waluigi ended Hole 9 with a double bogey while the others made two pars (Wario and Yoshi) and a birdie (Koopa the Quick).

"Please forgive me, man. I didn't see you there," Wario told Waluigi.

"Yeah, right..." Waluigi answered with sarcasm.

By Hole 16, Koopa the Quick was leading with 49, Yoshi with 58, Wario with 62, and Waluigi with 69.

"Nun, da ist unsere Chance bei 55, (_Well, there goes our chance at 55._)" Waluigi muttered.

The time is now 1:35 PM. Hole 17 at Lakitu Valley is the longest in the whole course, ranging at a length of 519 yards, which is within the limits of a Par 5 hole.

Koopa the Quick and Yoshi each hit dead straight shots; Yoshi's ball came within inches of striking Koopa the Quick's ball before it hit the fairway.

"Give it all your power, Wario!" Waluigi exclaimed as Wario addressed his ball.

"Gut. Bis später, Ball. (_All right. See you later, ball._)" Wario acknowledged. He swung his club as hard as possible, sending the ball straight before it hooked to the left.

* * *

Rewinding two minutes earlier, Bowser had just parked his Koopa Clown Car within the forested area on the left side of the fairway, hoping to retrieve long branches from certain trees before bringing them back to his kingdom's castle and storing them in a nearby shed. Those branches would be used during the winter to fuel a giant fireplace in the middle of the castle's courtyard.

"I got to find the ones with no bark on them," Bowser said to himself, knowing that those types of branches would burn faster after being lit. Suddenly, he heard a distant whistling noise coming from his upper left side and looked up at the sky.

"What is that up there...?" Bowser wondered while shielding his eyes from the sun.

* * *

Back at the tee box, Wario called out, "Go right! Come on!" His ball was heading into the trees, but it was still within bounds.

"Don't fly out-" Waluigi started. All of a sudden, a distant roar was heard before Wario's ball flew back towards the tee box and landed on the very front of the fairway.

"Was ist gerade passiert...? (_What just happened...?_)" Wario asked Waluigi.

"I don't know..."

Yoshi turned to Koopa the Quick. "We'd better get outta here," he whispered.

"Why?"

"Just come with me. Now."

Yoshi knew where the roar came from and who did it, so he and Koopa the Quick silently left the hole and made a straight beeline to the clubhouse.

The next thing Wario and Waluigi saw was a stream of fire piercing through the trees, lighting them up temporarily.

"WHO HIT ME IN THE EYE?!" Bowser bellowed as he stormed out of the treeline. His left eye was black and swollen because Wario's ball hit it so hard.

Wario and Waluigi stood in fear for a couple seconds before Wario broke the silence. "RUN FOR IT!" he cried. Almost immediately, both Wario and Waluigi dropped their clubs and ran through the past holes in reverse order.

Bowser took out a keypad and pushed its single orange button to summon his Koopa Clown Car before boarding it and taking off after Wario and Waluigi.

"YOU'RE GOING TO PAY, YOU FOREIGNERS!" Bowser yelled. He proceeded to activate his built-in Bullet Bill blaster and started shooting at Wario and Waluigi.

"Run faster, man!" Waluigi urged Wario, seeing that he's falling behind slowly.

"Ich versuche! (_I'm trying!_)" Wario replied.

Luckily for Wario and Waluigi, they managed to dodge every Bullet Bill that Bowser fired at them. By now, both are running through Hole 14.

"Where do we go?! We can't just run all the way to the clubhouse!" Waluigi exclaimed.

Before Wario could answer, he eyeballed a yellow Warp Pipe on his right. "This way!" Wario beckoned to Waluigi as they ran straight for the Warp Pipe.

"Verschwinde, Koopa! (_Get lost, Koopa!_)" Waluigi hollered before he hopped into the Warp Pipe after Wario went in first.

Forgetting that his Koopa Clown Car was too big, Bowser rammed it into the Warp Pipe, but it bounced off the rim and spun out of control for a moment.

"Urgh... I'm such an idiot..." Bowser murmured. "I got to find where that Warp Pipe goes." Bowser immediately flew to the west, searching for Wario and Waluigi's whereabouts.


	5. 2A - An Explosive Golf Shot

_**Chapter 2**_

**2A - An Explosive Golf Shot**

Rewinding back to 1:40 PM; Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Daisy arrived at the Koopa Badlands Golf Resort located about one hour from Lakitu Valley.

"You call this a golf resort, bro?" Mario asked Luigi after getting out of his go-kart. The resort's clubhouse had the appearance of a giant-sized log cabin and there were rocky cliffs and formations; as well as fortresses that comprised of most of the course.

"That's what I was told," Luigi said. "Plus, I already made the reservation yesterday." He took out two cameras attached to their respective tripods.

"What are those cameras for?" Daisy questioned.

"You didn't see me bring them in my kart?"

"No, I didn't."

"I was gonna film Mario's swings from his right and in front. That way, he'll see what he needs to change in the future," Luigi explained.

"Why didn't you do that at Lakitu Valley?" Mario asked defensively.

"Mario, calm down. I forgot to take the cameras with me," Luigi replied.

Without hesitation, the group picked up their clubs and balls at the golf cart parking area and began driving to Hole 1. This time, Luigi sat in the driver's seat during the short ride.

After gazing at the cliffs, specifically the ones that border a huge lake, Mario felt sick to his stomach for a couple seconds. "This is gonna risky for two reasons," he said.

"I know what they are," Peach stated. "You're not only worried about losing your ball, but you're scared about falling off the edge."

"Don't say that. I'm okay with heights," Mario returned.

"All right. I believe you," Peach gave in.

"Mario, how about you go first?" Luigi offered as he set up the tripods. He made sure to plant them firmly so that they wouldn't fall over.

"Thanks, Luigi," Mario responded.

Mario's first shot sliced way to the right, but it hit the central mast of a decommissioned pirate ship and bounced off it before landing to the left of a U-shaped bunker.

"You son of a...slicer..." Mario hesitated with irritation.

Before Peach went to the tee box to go second, Mario looked at the swing footage with Luigi.

"I can't tell exactly. I think you had good posture, but it might be that your driver was angled differently," Luigi said while looking at the front-facing camera.

"Do you know for a fact?" Mario asked.

"Like I said, I'm not a pro, but I'm doing all I can to help you."

After Luigi dismounted the tripods from the ground, Peach and Daisy made their tee shots before Luigi did the same. All three of their balls ended up in identical spots near the right of a teal-colored section of the fairway.

The good news was that Mario's ball was closest to the green; therefore, the other three had to take their second shots first.

"Do you think Mario's making an improvement?" Daisy asked Luigi. "I've never seen a tee shot like that."

"It was just sheer luck, Daisy. He's got some work to do," Luigi replied.

* * *

Meanwhile, Wario and Waluigi were expelled out of a green Warp Pipe located on the pathway leading to Hole 2.

"Wo sind wir? (_Where are we?_)" Waluigi asked.

"I don't want to know," Wario replied. "Look around." He pointed out the fortress walls on either side of the path.

"We'd better not be in Koopa's castle," Waluigi murmured.

"Let's just relax. We've been running too hard," Wario said. Seconds later, a distant whirring noise from the east came closer and closer.

"Is that...?" Wario began to ask himself. Suddenly, Bowser in his Koopa Clown Car flew in front of Wario and Waluigi.

"Gwahaha! I've got you where I wanted!" Bowser proclaimed.

"What are you gonna do? Huh?" Wario questioned. "You wouldn't kill us!"

"Kill you? Oh, great idea, mind-reader!" Bowser replied as he took out a Bob-omb before lighting its fuse with his fire breath.

"NOOO!" Wario and Waluigi cried.

* * *

Back at the fairway, Luigi had just set up the cameras prior to Mario taking his second shot.

"You got this, Mario," Luigi said. "Just get it on the green."

Mario turned to Luigi. "I'll try." After taking a deep breath, he began his swing.

* * *

"OPEN UP!" Wario yelled. Both him and Waluigi pounded on a giant blue-green door near the green.

"Warte kurz! Es ist nicht gesperrt! (_Wait a second! It's not locked!_)" Waluigi exclaimed, having noticed the door handle at the last minute.

"THEN PUSH IT!" Wario replied. Both shoved the door open and started to run onto the green. Suddenly, Mario's ball sliced to the right and hit Bowser's hand, causing him to drop the Bob-omb.

* * *

"Where did it go?" Mario asked, having seen his ball disappear over the fortress wall.

Before Luigi could answer the question, a huge explosion enveloped the fortress's doorway, startling Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Daisy.

"Oh my God!" Peach and Daisy exclaimed.

"Holy cr-" Mario started to blurt out. The shockwave from the explosion immediately hit the group, causing everyone to crouch down and cover their ears. At the same time, Mario's iron was blown back by the shockwave and rammed into his chest.

"AAGHH! My chest!" Mario cried in agony as he threw his hands on his chest.

"What happened, bro?!" Luigi asked as he rushed to Mario.

"I think my ribs are broken...!"

Luigi pressed his hand against Mario's ribs, inadvertently hurting them more. He barely felt some cracks on three of Mario's rib bones.

"Guys, we're calling off the game today," Luigi told Peach and Daisy. "I'm taking him to the ER."

Before everyone boarded the golf cart, Peach began to pick up the tripods and put them in the back of the cart but noticed the front-facing camera's lens was shattered.

"Luigi, one of your cameras broke," Peach said.

"Not now, Princess Peach! That's not the emergency!" Luigi argued. Without hesitation, Luigi started up the golf cart before driving toward the clubhouse.

* * *

Meanwhile, Wario and Waluigi fell face-first into the lake below Hole 1; they were also blown back by the explosion.

"What the heck was that?" Wario coughed after he and Waluigi surfaced.

"Benimm dich nicht so, als ob du es nicht wüsstest! (_Don't act like you don't know!_)" Waluigi answered. "He tried to kill us with a Bob-omb!"

"At least we're still alive," Wario said.

"Now where do we go?"

"Let's just get to the clubhouse first before we do anything else."

Just as Wario and Waluigi began swimming back to the clubhouse, Bowser escaped the golf course in his Koopa Clown Car, having also survived the explosion.


	6. 2B - Mario's Rib Injury

**2B - Mario's Rib Injury**

"Well, Luigi, it appears that both sides of Mario's fourth rib have completely fractured and the left side of his third rib is 50% severed from the sternum," the x-ray technician told Luigi while pointing out three different x-ray pictures of Mario's ribcage.

Just 20 minutes earlier, Luigi drove Mario in his go-kart to the Mushroom City Hospital located southeast of Toad Town. Because Peach and Daisy rode in the former's Heart Coach (which holds two people), Daisy was able to drive Mario's kart to his pad before Peach took her back to Sarasaland.

"How long is it gonna take to heal?" Luigi asked.

"I'd say between four to five weeks," the x-ray technician replied. "It's a typical estimate for rib fractures."

"But... But I'll...miss...the...open..." Mario murmured. He was feeling woozy from being administered narcotics through an IV in his right arm.

"I'm sorry, Mario," the technician said. "It's unfortunate that this happened."

"Is...my kart...at my...pad yet...?" Mario asked Luigi.

"I'll check with Daisy," Luigi said. He took out his cell phone and texted to Daisy, "Mario wants to know if you brought his kart to his pad. Thanks,"

"I spoke to the doctor and she said you shouldn't overexert yourself, or it'll take longer for your ribs to heal," the technician told Mario. "She recommends you be on bed rest for about three days while applying ice to the fractured area."

The technician handed Luigi a painkiller prescription filled out by the doctor. "Here's the prescription notice; it'll be ready for pickup at 6:30 PM this evening."

"Thank you so much," Luigi thanked the technician. "When will Mario be allowed to go home?"

"We'll remove his IV in about five minutes before sending him on his way. You wait in the waiting room and we'll let you know when he's ready." Luigi immediately got up from his chair and made his way to the waiting room.

Six minutes later, two nurses rolled Mario in a wheelchair out the front door with Luigi following them.

"Have a nice afternoon, sir," one of the nurses said to Luigi.

"You too," Luigi acknowledged as he carefully helped Mario into his kart before taking the driver's seat.

"Where...are we...going...?" Mario questioned.

"I'm taking you to my mansion. You'll feel more comfortable there," Luigi answered after beginning the drive to his mansion located west of Mario's Pad.

"Thanks...bro..."

"You're welcome, Mario. I promise I'll take good care of you until your ribs are better."

Mario barely heard his phone ring but couldn't get himself to pick it up and answer who was calling him. He decided to let it go to voicemail and check on it later.

It took 29 minutes to get from the hospital to Luigi's mansion: a four-story mansion with cream-colored exterior walls and green-bordered windows; it even had a green "L" above the foyer's big window.

After parking in his driveway, Luigi assisted Mario into the mansion and took him to one of the second floor's guest rooms before going downstairs to prep an ice pack for Mario's chest.

"Why me...?" Mario mumbled as he sat on the guest room's bed. He began to tear up because he was upset about missing out on the golf tournament. "I can't even do anything..."

Three minutes later, Luigi entered the guest room with the ice pack and laid Mario down before applying the ice to his ribs.

"Keep that on your chest for at least an hour before you tell me to refill it," Luigi instructed Mario. "I'll be gone at around 6 to get your medicine." Mario started to cry softly.

"Mario. It's okay," Luigi reassured Mario. "I know you're upset about missing the open, but there's always next time."

"B-but what...ab-bout...the p-payment...?"

"I don't think you can get a refund for that."

"So...I g-guess...i-it was a...w-waste..." Mario trembled.

"No, it wasn't. You're thinking too negatively," Luigi answered. "Just take a deep breath and get your mind off of today's game."

"All right-y..."

"I'll be downstairs if you need anything, but you'll have to text me because you can't get out of bed except for showering every morning. Okay?"

"Okay..."

"Rest well, Mario," Luigi said as he slowly exited the guest room before closing the door. Now that Mario was in bed, it didn't take long for him to go to sleep because of the narcotics in his system.


	7. 2C - A Superfast Recovery

**2C - A Superfast Recovery**

It's July 1, 2003: three days after Mario accidentally broke his ribs following a freak explosion at Koopa Badlands, which was mostly caused by Bowser trying to kill Wario and Waluigi for giving him a black eye.

After Mario got out of bed at 8:50 AM, he went to take a shower before looking at the mirror to check on his chest. The day after the accident, there were bruises all over even though the rib fractures were closed.

However, Mario was surprised to see that 98% of his bruises were gone and it didn't hurt as bad as it did while in the ER.

"How did it heal so fast?" Mario asked himself. "I know I'm not a superhero, but I don't understand it..."

He decided to go downstairs and talk to Luigi about his condition. Just as he was about reach for the guest room door, Luigi came in with his breakfast.

"Good morning, bro. How are-" Luigi stopped mid-sentence, having seen Mario walk easily without grabbing his chest in pain. He placed the breakfast tray on the bed, as he didn't want to accidentally drop it on the floor.

"Why the heck are you walking normally like nothing happened?" Luigi questioned.

"That's what I wanna know," Mario answered as he slightly unfurled the towel to show Luigi his chest.

"No..." Luigi said in disbelief. "You're pranking me, right? Did you paint your chest behind my back?"

"Why would I do that? I was in bed for the last three days."

"But this is... It... I..." Luigi hesitated.

"'This is' what? Impossible that I'm healing faster than you think?" Mario asked.

"Yeah, it kind of is. I still want to know how your ribs got better quickly."

"I wish I knew the answer, Luigi. But-" Mario started to say. Suddenly, he remembered something Yoshi told him during the Dinosaur Land adventure in November 1990.

_*13 YEARS AGO*_

"_You're not just Mario. You're SUPER Mario," Yoshi said. "Well, not really a superhero; you're more of a superhuman."_

_*PRESENT DAY*_

"Yoshi was right... No wonder it doesn't hurt anymore..." Mario realized.

"What did Yoshi say?"

"I know it was 13 years ago, but when he said I was Super Mario, it convinced me that I'm able to recover from any injury as long as it's not too severe."

"And you think that your ribs being broken isn't severe?" Luigi asked.

"I think so. Maybe they didn't puncture my lungs, or stomach, or something like that."

"If that's the case, I'll schedule a follow-up appointment at the hospital ASAP," Luigi stated.

"Go for it."

Without further ado, Luigi went to his office to schedule the follow-up appointment online.

It's the next day at 8:30 AM. Mario and Luigi have just pulled up at the Mushroom City Hospital again before entering the waiting room.

"Hello. You must be Mario, correct?" the receptionist asked.

"Yes. It's-a me. I have an 8:45 with Dr. Mason," Mario answered.

"Sure thing. I'll let her know you're here."

14 minutes later, Mario went by himself to Dr. Opal Mason's examination room; Dr. Mason is the hospital's primary orthopedist.

"So, your brother told me that your ribs healed in just three days. How is that possible?" Dr. Mason asked.

"Before I tell you, I want you to believe me. I swear to God I don't intend to lie," Mario replied.

"It's okay. I always trust my patients."

"Look, the reason why is because I was told I was a superhuman. Not like those comic book heroes who aren't real."

"Is that so?" Dr. Mason questioned. "Well, just to make sure you're right, we're gonna x-ray your chest again."

Within ten minutes, the same x-ray technician that studied the initial fractures retook the pictures of Mario's chest. The technician was shocked that the ribs were back in place.

"This... This doesn't make sense," the technician said while looking at the x-rays.

"That's what everyone told me. 'It doesn't make sense.' 'How is this possib-' You know what? I'm done with people not believing what I'm capable of!" Mario responded with irritation.

"Take it easy, Mario. There's no need to raise your voice," Dr. Mason said calmly.

"But no one understands me! If I say I'm Super Mario, why do my peers think I'm faking it?" Mario demanded.

"I can't answer that question, Mario. But what matters most is you're perfectly fine, and I'm pleased that it didn't take a month, if not even one week."

* * *

Back in the waiting room, Luigi looked at his phone to see how long it's been since Mario was led to Dr. Mason's office.

"He should be out by now," he said to himself. Seconds later, Mario exited the hallway leading to the waiting room and checked out before he left with Luigi.

"What did the doctor say?" Luigi asked.

"Let's just say she and the x-ray guy thought I was lying," Mario stated. "But they still x-rayed me and confirmed that I'm okay now."

"That's excellent," Luigi replied. "You know what that means, bro?"


	8. 3A - Searching for the Right School

_**Chapter 3**_

**3A - Searching for the Right School**

Relieved that he's eligible again to compete in the Cheep Cheep Falls Open, Mario came up with a plan to train for the tournament. He discussed it with Luigi during dinner at around 5:45 PM.

"You know, I gotta thank you for trying to help me out during those two practice games last Saturday, bro. I never thought in my life that you were somewhat of an expert at golf," Mario said.

"No problem, Mario," Luigi replied. "It was fun playing with you despite your injury."

"You said you played once a week, right?"

"Sure. Why do you ask?" Luigi questioned.

"I was wondering how long you've considered golf to be your favorite," Mario said.

"I don't know exactly. Probably since the early '90s."

After taking a spoonful of his cream of tomato soup, Mario decided to talk about his training strategy. "I was thinking about how to train before Day 1 my way because you only know the basics."

"What's your idea?"

"I was going to research some golfing schools back in America and try to seek help from a professional or something like that," Mario explained.

Luigi mulled over Mario's idea for a couple seconds before stating his opinion. "Not a bad idea, bro. Where are you gonna start at?"

"I'll figure it out soon," Mario replied.

After finishing their dinner, Mario and Luigi boarded the latter's kart to drive back to Mario's Pad because the former's kart was already at the pad.

"Good luck searching," Luigi told Mario before driving back to his mansion.

The way that Mario was going to search for a golfing school was to first go down to the basement that used to house Luigi's secret diary. Inside the basement is a recently installed electronic Warp Pipe system, called the Faraway Warp Zone, that allows Mario to go anywhere on the Real-Life Earth he wants to go to. It utilizes high-tech state-of-the-art technology developed by the Warping Science Laboratory to connect from the Mushroom Universe all the way to the Real-Life Universe (it contains the Milky Way Galaxy and its Solar System).

Once the computer receives the signal from the Real-Life Earth's Global Positioning System, Mario can then type in a specific city in a certain country before being given a prompt to enter any coordinates that correspond to a specific place in that city (such as a movie theatre or a famous landmark).

Afterwards, Mario can enter the green Warp Pipe mounted on the wall left of the computer and spawn in his destination. During his time on the Real-Life Earth, Mario has to carry a small keypad with a green button on it; the keypad spawns a green Warp Pipe next to him that leads back to his pad; however, Mario only has ten seconds to make his move before the Warp Pipe disappears (he has to spawn the pipe again).

In this case, Mario planned on researching the United States for the best golfing school that can help improve his skills and abilities for the Cheep Cheep Falls Open. But because Mario was exhausted after a full day, he decided to wait until tomorrow to begin his research.

It's the next day at 9:30 AM. During breakfast, the first thing that came to Mario's head were four options: Dallas, Texas; Jacksonville, Florida; Denver, Colorado; or Rochester, New York. The reason why was because Mario thought those cities had the best public courses in the country thanks to a recent online search during the Links Tournament four years earlier; he remembered to write it down afterwards.

Twenty minutes later, Mario started up the Faraway Warp Zone's computer and typed "List of golfing schools in Dallas, Texas" in the search bar. All the options were sorted from top to bottom according to their star rating; on the top of the list was the 4.7-star rated Four Seasons Golf Resort in Las Colinas: a suburb northwest of downtown Dallas. The spawn point was automatically set up next to the entrance of the golf resort's hotel.

"This is it, Mario," he told himself. "Your training is about to begin." Although he was nervous about what was to come, Mario didn't hesitate to flip the switch that activated the green Warp Pipe; the inside had the appearance of a rotating circle flashing random colors.

"Here I go..." After stowing his keypad in his overalls pocket, Mario ducked his head towards the ground and speed-walked into the Warp Pipe. Within seconds, he was zooming forward at a fast speed inside the colored environment. As he was used to going through this process many times before, Mario didn't scream with thrill during the short trip.

About ten seconds passed before he emerged through another side-mounted green Warp Pipe and found himself standing to the left of the entrance of the Four Seasons' hotel; the Warp Pipe retracted into the wall a moment later. Mario was still in his animated form while everything else around him was 100% live action.

"Mamma mia..." Mario murmured while scanning his surroundings.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**To make myself clear, the Warping Science Laboratory is NOT associated with Gadd Science Inc. before you start asking if it is.**


	9. 3B - Meet Rocco Peterson

**3B - Meet Rocco Peterson**

The time is now 10:01 AM. Mario began exploring the Four Seasons area, wondering what it's like to be in a real-life golf resort unlike one in the Mushroom Universe. While walking around, Mario told himself to act natural and not freak out if anyone spots him. He first went through the main leisure facility complete with racquetball courts, a large gym full of exercise equipment, a giant room with four tennis courts, and a swimming pool next to the men and women's locker rooms.

While Mario passed by the gym, several members waved at him just like they would greet typical peers. Surprisingly, Mario was expecting everyone to stare at him in awe and shock because there's literally an animated video game character roaming a real-life golf resort. He gladly waved back as he continued onwards.

At the end of the leisure facility was a tunnel leading into the men and women's spa section. If Mario kept going straight, he would go up a flight of stairs into the hotel lobby; however, he exited to his left back to the small road leading to the golf courses.

Just as Mario turned right to find a golf cart to drive in, a middle-aged African American member approached him and said with excitement, "Wow! If it isn't the one and only Mario! What a surprise to see you in real-life!"

"I'm glad to meet you too. What's your name, sir?" Mario asked while shaking the man's hand.

"I'm Andrew Davis. How can I help you?"

"I'm looking for a golfing school at this resort, if you have one," Mario explained.

"Unfortunately, we don't have a school here," Andrew replied. "However, I can hook you up with someone at the driving range."

"Thank you, Mr. Davis. How long will it take?"

"Not too long. Just wait a couple minutes," Andrew said before taking out his cell phone. He walked next to the refreshments stand to talk to whoever he's calling privately. Andrew made sure not to mention Mario's name because he wanted it to be a surprise.

After about two minutes, Andrew approached Mario and said, "His name is Rocco Peterson; he won three PGA Championships within the last five years."

"That's fantastic."

"He's ready to meet you at the driving range, so let's go there now," Andrew said.

"All right-y," Mario declared as both boarded the nearest golf cart to drive to the driving range. It took about one minute to get from the golf cart area to the driving range. After parking the golf cart, Andrew immediately began walking toward the rightmost tee box and beckoned Mario to follow him.

"Yo, Rocco," Andrew said to Rocco, who had just driven one of his balls with a 3 wood. He was a few inches taller than Mario (Mario's height is 5 feet, 8 inches) and bore a five o'clock shadow. Almost immediately, Rocco turned to see Mario and gasped with shock.

"Whoa! No way!" Rocco exclaimed. "A-Are you serious?"

"Of course, Mr. Peterson. Nice to meet you," Mario said while Rocco laid his hand on his heart. Andrew was laughing during the short exchange.

"I don't even need to introduce you to him, Rocco!" Andrew chuckled.

"Obviously not," Rocco replied with a sigh. "Oh my God..."

"I'm so sorry I shocked you. Please forgive me," Mario said.

"It's okay, Mario. I never thought once in my whole life that a video game character like you would appear in real-life."

"Well, I'm going to go now," Andrew said before walking off. "Have a nice day, guys."

"Buh-bye, Mr. Davis," Mario bid Andrew goodbye.

"So, Mario, what brings you to the Four Seasons?" Rocco asked.

"Well, back in my world, I signed up for a golf tournament that's supposed to be really competitive, but the problem is that I haven't played golf for a couple years," Mario explained.

"Then you've asked the right person. I understand how hard it is to get back in the swing of things after a long time," Rocco said. "No pun intended."

"The truth is I CAN still golf, but my swings are way off almost all the time. You want to see one of my swings?"

"Absolutely," Rocco replied as he positioned himself to Mario's right. "You can use my driver for now."

Mario set up one of Rocco's golf balls on the tee before taking Rocco's driver. After taking a couple seconds to compose himself, Mario swung like he would normally do. Just as he predicted, the ball sliced to the right again and landed next to the netted barrier.

"That's not good, isn't it?" Mario asked.

"Looks like it to me. You're going to need to work on your form to perfection," Rocco stated. "We'll work our way up to the driving during this training because everyone has to start somewhere."

"Good point. It's hard for me to putt correctly as well," Mario answered. "Last Saturday, I was playing with my brother Luigi and Princess Peach and there were a couple holes during which it took me two or three putts to sink the ball; ended up with bogeys on average."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be able to end up with mostly birdie putts by the time your tournament begins."

"Thank you, Mr. Peterson," Mario thanked Rocco.

"You can call me Rocco, Mario. And I'm more than welcome to help you out," Rocco replied. "Let's start with upping your putting skills today and we'll resume tomorrow at around 10 AM. Make sure to bring your clubs with you."

"How long will each of the training sessions last?" Mario asked.

"Let's shoot for two and a half to three hours on weekdays. I've got all afternoon," Rocco explained. "Quick question: when is Day 1 of the tournament?"

"The Cheep Cheep Falls Open starts on the 28th this month." Mario answered. "Did I ask too late?"

"Absolutely not, Mario. You've picked the perfect time."

Without further ado, Mario and Rocco made their way to the putting green as the starting point for Mario's three-and-a-half-week training program for the Cheep Cheep Falls Open.


	10. 3C - July the Fourth

**3C - July the Fourth**

"That's fantastic, bro! I'm so glad you found the right trainer before you knew it," Luigi said to Mario. It's the next day at 8:45 AM; Luigi came over to Mario's Pad for breakfast because Mario wanted to tell him about his three-and-a-half-week program.

"Me too. I literally thought there would be bad luck in Dallas, and I would've gone on to Rochester or something," Mario replied.

"Do you want me to let Princess Peach know about it?" Luigi offered.

"Just her. I don't want to spread this out to all our friends and family."

"But what if her sisters are interested?" Luigi asked.

"Then we'll give in if that's the case," Mario answered before sipping his coffee. "May I borrow your clubs for now?"

"You may. But you'll have to go and buy your own set of clubs and balls eventually," Luigi instructed.

"Give me until the 10th, please."

After both finished their meal 15 minutes later, Mario stayed at his pad while Luigi drove to his mansion to collect his golfing equipment and lend them to Mario for the next six days.

"I'll be out there from 10 AM to about 12:30 PM or 1 PM," Mario told Luigi.

"All right-y. You have a nice day and tell Rocco I said hello," Luigi said before walking out the front door.

50 minutes later, Mario made his way back to the Four Seasons and drove over to the driving range where Rocco was standing next to the range's clubhouse.

"Good morning, Mario," Rocco greeted Mario.

"Good morning, Rocco."

"I see you've brought your brother's clubs. Why is that?" Rocco questioned.

"I don't have my own set yet, and I plan on buying it at the end of next week," Mario explained.

"Fair enough. So, why don't we get back to the putting today?" Rocco asked as both made their way to the putting green.

After setting Luigi's club bag on the green's fringe, Mario took out the putter and two of the bag's golf balls. Initially, the ball was placed so that it goes down a straight line to the hole. This was done multiple times so that Mario can remember how much power to put on the putter (not too much when on the green).

Once Mario masters that section, the ball is moved either to the left or right so that it has to be putted at an angle. The third section has to do with the hole being placed on a slope, which means the amount of power on the putt varies if the slope is steep or not.

Finally, if the ball stops on the fringe and the hole is on the other side of the green, the putt must be strong, but not too much or else the ball would overshoot the hole. Over the course of the two-and-a-half-hour session, Mario went through the straight-line segment easily, but had a bit of trouble on the angled section because he initially turned the putter too much at first, and there were a few near misses at the end.

"That was some good putting, Mario," Rocco remarked after the conclusion of the session. "I know it was difficult at angling your putter, but they say that practice makes perfect."

"Thanks," Mario replied. "I feel like I'm gonna improve every day even if it's a small amount."

"Before you go, Mario, I was thinking because today's the 4th of July, I was wondering if you'd like to watch the fireworks with me later tonight," Rocco offered.

"I'd love to. When will they start shooting them off?"

"Around 8:20 PM," Rocco instructed. "Meet me at the resort pool's pavilion; there's a balcony where we'll sit together."

"Okey-dokey. I'll see you then," Mario said before heading back home through his Warp Pipe.

After the homeward bound, Mario took a quick shower and changed into a completely different outfit: a red-and-white striped cap, a blue shirt with white stars, red-and-white striped overalls, and red shoes. He chose that outfit for the sake of representing the United States.

The time is now 8:15 PM. After arriving back at the Four Seasons, Mario made his way to the resort pool's pavilion where cookout-type foods were being prepped: hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks, and kebabs. Rocco saw Mario walk in and immediately approached him because the patriotic outfit caught his eye.

"Wow. I can't even describe how awesome you look, Mario," Rocco said.

"Thanks, Rocco. I thought what better way to celebrate the 4th of July than to dress up as America," Mario answered. "Sorry I couldn't find an Uncle Sam costume."

"No problem. Your outfit looks good enough."

After getting their late dinners, Mario and Rocco sat on two lounge chairs at the balcony and awaited the beginning of the fireworks ceremony.

"I got to say this is the most peaceful 4th of July I've ever experienced," Mario remarked. "Usually, when me and Luigi visit Brooklyn on this occasion, there would be a rowdy parade that goes down the streets and people would be cheering nonstop."

"I feel you. I sometimes don't like loud environments outside of golfing events," Rocco explained. "But then again, if you're gonna attend a 4th of July parade, you might as well get used to it."

Less than a minute later, the fireworks began shooting off from a couple miles away. Rocco and Mario were immediately mesmerized by the bright colors.

"That's lovely," Mario said.

"I know, right?"

After both silently watched the fireworks for about a minute, Rocco proceeded to talk about his life.

"Funny story: the last two PGA championships I won in 2000 and 2001, I barely beat Phil Mickelson by ONE negative stroke. In fact, it was almost a near miss on Hole 18. If that ball stopped on the rim and didn't go in, I would've taken my clubs and destroyed them after the closing ceremony."

"Does that mean you have temper problems like I do?" Mario asked.

"Not really. I was exaggerating because deep down inside, that's what you want to do so badly even though you're going to make yourself a jerk in real-life."

"I understand. For as long as I can remember, I tend to get triggered easily by the little things, but that happens on a rare basis because people always see me as a happy-go-lucky hero. But they don't know the real me outside of my games," Mario explained.

"Well, I'm glad you opened up about your personal problems. Not everyone is perfect mood-wise," Rocco replied.

"How long have you professionally played golf?" Mario asked.

"Since I was 23 years old back in 1993. My dad saw potential in me during college and motivated me to try out for the real deal after I graduated. It's a thing that runs in my family."

"Yeah. It makes total sense," Mario said. "But my family is different. My father was NEVER a plumber to begin with. Me and Luigi wanted to work in the building construction field, but we started working as plumbers as young adults and for some reason, it became our passion over time. That was until we saved Princess Peach for the first time."

"Okay. Did you open a full-time business back then?" Rocco questioned.

"Yes. Me and Luigi ran _Mario Bros. Plumbing_ for a good number of years until we accidentally discovered the Mushroom Kingdom while unclogging a customer's bathtub drain," Mario continued. "We then closed the business after saving Princess Peach and moved permanently to the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Cool story. I didn't know all that until now," Rocco remarked, having been intrigued by Mario's backstory.

"Well, now you know."

Mario and Rocco laid back in their chairs and continued to watch the fireworks, which lasted for 10 to 11 minutes.


	11. 4A - Rocco's Children

_**Chapter 4**_

**4A - Rocco's Children**

"_Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Mario, happy birthday to you!_"

It's July 9th at 11:30 AM: Mario's birthday. A small party was set up in Peach's castle's dining room; attending the party were Luigi, Peach, and her 7-year-old sister Aqua. All of them had just sung "Happy Birthday to You" to Mario, who closed his eyes and blew out the candles on his birthday cake; the cake is chocolate-flavored with white buttercream frosting and the red "M" symbol iced on top with five candles on the letter's vertices.

While everyone cheered briefly for a couple seconds, Peach kissed Mario on the cheek, causing him to blush.

"I knew you were gonna do that, Princess Peach," Mario chuckled. "Is this your little tradition?"

"Why would it not be?" Peach answered. "You've always been cute-looking." Her last sentence caused Mario to blush even more.

Peach proceeded to hand Mario the cake cutter; as it's his birthday, he was allowed to make the first slice. Shortly thereafter, Peach cut three slices for herself and the others.

"You ready for my gift, bro?" Luigi asked.

"I'm ready," Mario replied. "Do I have to close my eyes?"

"You can leave them open." Luigi then left the dining room to get Mario's present.

"I got to give you props for outdoing yourself with the cake," Mario told Peach while slowly eating his cake slice.

"Thanks. I told you I always make your birthday cakes the way you want."

One minute later, Luigi came in with Mario's gift: a personalized golf bag, balls included, that bore red and white colors as well as an "M" symbol on the center. Mario immediately became surprised.

"Mamma mia..." Mario murmured.

"Weren't expecting that, huh?" Luigi asked while putting his hand on Mario's shoulder.

"Not at all. I thought we made a deal about me buying my own set."

"For a while, it was."

"What about you, Princess Peach?" Mario asked Peach.

"I already gave you my gift," Peach answered, reminding Mario of the kiss she gave earlier.

"Uh, Mario?" Aqua said, prompting Mario to turn to her. "I'm sorry I couldn't think of anything to give you for your birthday."

Mario kneeled in front of her. "It's okay. I don't ask for much anyway. But what matters most is your presence. I'd consider that your gift to me because you've always been my best friend." In response, Aqua gave Mario a big hug.

"Happy birthday, Mario."

"Thank you, Aqua," Mario replied softly.

An hour and a half later, Mario set off for the Four Seasons again. By this time, Mario was already in the pitching phase: using said wedge to hit the ball on a lofted trajectory towards the green. This is useful when the ball is in a bunker that's lower than the green. For this day, Mario wore his trusty red cap, but he put on a blue shirt and red overalls.

"Happy birthday, Mario," Rocco said after Mario arrived at the driving range.

"Thanks, Rocco. It always makes me happy on a day like this," Mario replied. "You want to hear something weird?"

"What is it?"

"For some reason, I haven't been aging physically. I went to the doctor's in the early '90s and they did some tests to confirm that my aging stopped a couple years earlier. But they said I can still celebrate my birthday every year," Mario explained.

"Wow. It IS pretty weird."

Just before Mario and Rocco went to the other green that had bunkers surrounding it, a five-year-old girl walked up to Rocco from the range's clubhouse. It was his young daughter Leah.

"What are you doing over here, darling?" Rocco asked.

"I wanted to tell you something about-" Leah started to say before she saw Mario out the corner of her right eye. She immediately became shocked and stood still.

"Oh, hello there, little princess!" Mario greeted Leah while waving hello with his fingers. "What's your name?"

"Uh... L-Leah..." Leah hesitated.

"Hello, Leah! It's-a me, Mario! Wahoo!" Mario introduced himself, pumping his fist in the air.

"I-Is...it...r-really...y-you...?" Leah asked nervously.

"Of course! How about I prove it?" Mario offered. He proceeded to do a high backflip and did a regular jump upon the first landing before posing at the end. "Tada!"

"Wow! He jumped really high!" Rocco told Leah, intrigued about Mario's jumping abilities.

Mario proceeded to kneel in front of Leah and held his arms out. "Can I have a hug, Leah?"

But Leah couldn't move and was shaking a bit.

"Hey. Don't be shy. I'm friendly," Mario reassured Leah. She slowly walked up to Mario, who lightly hugged her.

"Oh, thank you, little princess. You're so sweet."

Rocco went and took out his camera to take a picture of Leah with Mario. "How about I get a picture of both of you?"

"Oh boy! I'd love that!" Mario exclaimed. Leah sat on Mario's left knee; Mario did the V-sign with his right hand before Rocco took a couple pictures of Leah and Mario.

"All right. There we go," Rocco stated as he put his camera away.

"It was nice to meet you, Leah," Mario said as Leah gave him another hug before walking back into the clubhouse; Mario waved goodbye with his fingers. "Buh-bye!"

After standing back up, Mario picked up his golfing set and went with Rocco to the pitching green.

"Mamma mia. Your daughter is so sweet," Mario remarked.

"Yeah. She's been my beauty for all my life," Rocco replied.

"You know what? Leah actually reminds me of Princess Peach's youngest sister, Aqua."

"How exactly?"

"I'll tell you right now," Mario began.

_*ONE YEAR AGO*_

"_Mario, Luigi, this is my youngest sister, Princess Aqua," Peach said._

"_H-hello..." Aqua said nervously._

"_Hello there. I'm Mario, and this is my bro, Luigi," Mario introduced himself and Luigi._

"_Hello!"_

"_H-hi, Mario..." Aqua hesitated. Mario kneeled in front of her._

"_Hey. There's no need to be shy. We're going to have a fun time on Isle Delfino together, as friends," Mario reassured Aqua._

"_Friends?" Aqua asked._

"_Sure! Tell you what, Aqua. How would you like to be my new little buddy?" Mario offered._

"_I'd love to," Aqua answered with a smile._

"_Oh boy!" Mario exclaimed, giving Aqua a high-five._

_*PRESENT DAY*_

"We then got to know each other over the course of the two-week vacation and enjoyed all there was to do on the island," Mario explained. He decided not to mention the graffiti incident because it would ruin the heart-to-heart moment.

"That's very nice. I'm sure you and Aqua became great friends after you got back home," Rocco said.

"We did indeed. She's just as pretty as Leah is," Mario remarked. "Have you got any other kids?"

"I do. Leah's five years old, and I have one other: a three-year-old son named Alex," Rocco said. Inside Rocco's mind, however, he began to slowly feel sad.

"What a lovely name for a son," Mario stated. Before he could ask Rocco another question, he noticed Rocco getting sadder until he began to tear up.

"What's the matter?"

"Um..." Rocco started. His voice was beginning to tremble.

"Come on, Rocco. You can tell me anything," Mario said as he began to feel concerned about Rocco's well-being.

"I... I don't know...how to break...this to you..."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Special thanks to my new friend on Fanfiction, mariobroultimate, for allowing me to use Princess Aqua for this story as well as future stories that I plan on featuring his character.**


	12. 4B - Saddening News

**4B - Saddening News**

"It's... It's about...Alex..." Rocco stuttered. He was right on the edge of his breaking point.

"What about Alex?" Mario asked.

"He... Uh..."

Finally, Rocco spat out the truth in a choked-up voice, "My son Alex has ALL leukemia!"

"Wha- WHAT?!" Mario exclaimed in disbelief; he's also on the verge of tears.

"Alex has acute lymphoblastic leukemia...! He's b-been...going through chemo...f-for the last t-two months...!" Rocco cried, dropping to his knees. Mario finally burst into tears and kneeled too.

"No...! You d-didn't j-just say th-that...!" Mario hung his head towards the ground and took off his cap, crying his eyes out. "A-a three-year-old k-kid?! Of a-all p-people?! Why?!"

"I... I d-don't kn-know..." Rocco answered. "M-my family found out l-late A-April... Alex w-was feeling s-so d-dizzy...he l-lost a l-lot of weight a-and d-didn't eat m-much...his abdomen w-was swelling u-up..."

Rocco got up and walked back to the range's clubhouse. "Let's... L-Let's just c-call i-it for t-today..."

"B-but why didn't you tell me?!" Mario demanded as he picked up his golfing set and followed Rocco.

"B-Because I...w-wanted to...stay positive..." Rocco replied. "But L-Leah c-came out...and that made me...think about A-Alex...because I love him s-so much l-like Leah... T-The last th-thing I want...is for him t-to die on me!" Rocco leaned against one of the clubhouse pillars and took off his cap too.

"It's too early for him...! It's...so m-morbid!" Mario put his arm around Rocco.

"I-I'm sorry, R-Rocco... I-I know it is..." Mario sobbed.

"H-have y-you...lost anyone...t-to cancer...?" Rocco asked.

"One of my r-roommates...in college... Connor..." Mario said. "I-it was a-after I... I began my j-junior year... He..." Mario began to cry harder and buried his face in his hands. "He was...sm-smoking t-too much... I t-tried to s-stop him... But h-he ended up...with b-bad lungs... Connor m-missed out on so many c-classes... I-it was...too late...to start chemo... He d-died five weeks a-after he f-found out..."

No one said anything for a few minutes after Mario explained about his roommate's cancer.

"If... If there's a-anything I c-can do...Rocco..." Mario offered, having calmed down a bit. "I'll...do ANYTHING...to h-help Alex..."

"Well... It c-costs...$10,000...per month...o-of chemo..." Rocco said. "That's all I've...been spending...on ever since... I want to...help pay for my kids'...education...and other stuff... But..." Rocco tried to go on, but he started sobbing again; however, that was enough for Mario to come up with an idea.

Ever since Mario signed up for the Cheep Cheep Falls Open, his main intention was to show his friends his super golfing abilities, which was why he asked for Rocco's help in the first place. Now, having learned that Alex is down with ALL leukemia, he decided to show his friends how much he cares for cancer patients.

"How about this..." Mario said. "At the tournament...the top prize is 200,000 Coins, which is the same as $250,000...because dollars are 25% more than Coins... Whatever I win...I will donate one-fifths to the hospital Alex is in... I know cancer is for the most part...uncurable, and I want to be the bigger man and help kids...who need the money more than me..."

Even though he was still sad, Rocco instantly felt relieved at Mario's offer. He lightly hugged Mario.

"Thank you, Mario..." Rocco whimpered. "You don't know how happy...you've made me... I only make $55,000 per year, but you giving $50,000 to charity saves me a lot..."

"That's why I'm here," Mario said, having fully calmed down. "I was born to be a big-hearted person and not care only about myself." Knowing that today's session was scrubbed, Mario prepared to spawn his Warp Pipe.

"Do you want me to come back tomorrow?"

"Sure. I just need the rest of the day to chill out," Rocco replied. "Just in case you want to know which hospital Alex is in, it's the Parkland Memorial Hospital about nine miles from here."

"Not a problem for me. I'll just warp myself at the hospital's parking lot whenever you want me to come there," Mario said. He pushed his keypad's green button to make the Warp Pipe extend from the floor.

"Goodbye for now, Rocco,"

"See ya." Mario collected his golfing set and climbed into the Warp Pipe for the eleven-second ride back to his pad.

The time is now 1:16 PM. After deactivating the Faraway Warp Zone for the day, Mario went upstairs to his bedroom and sat on his bed to think things over. Because he was distraught about unexpectedly being told of Alex's cancer, Mario slowly began to cry again after four minutes.

"Why...? W-Why a three-year-old k-kid...?" Mario sniffled. "It j-just... It..." Not only did Mario reflect on what happened earlier, but he revisited Connor's lung cancer episode back in his college days.

Finally, Mario couldn't take it anymore and threw his cap on the floor in anger before shoving his kitchen chairs over and punching his front door. Mario let out a loud, anguished scream before collapsing on the kitchen floor in tears. Mario was sobbing so badly that he couldn't pick himself off the floor and cried himself to sleep after completely exhausting his energy within five minutes.


	13. 4C - Change of Plans

**4C - Change of Plans**

"Ugghh... My God..." Mario moaned as he slowly woke up and looked around. "What happened...?" Suddenly, he realized he was sleeping on the kitchen floor all this time.

"Wha- Why the freak am I sleeping on the floor?" Mario got up and saw all his kitchen chairs knocked over, his cap stomped flat, and a couple dents on the front door from his tantrum several hours ago. He walked up to the oven clock to see what time it was.

"1 AM?!" Mario exclaimed in shock. "How long have I been out?" It turns out that he passed out at around 1:20 PM last afternoon and didn't wake up for almost twelve hours. Mario couldn't get himself to go back to sleep because he felt the energy go through his body again.

To pass the time, Mario decided to go for a jog and get his mind off the cancer news for now. He changed out of his shirt and overalls before putting on a workout shirt and athletic shorts. Mario came up with a route that took him past Luigi's mansion and Goomba Village, and down the long path to Toad Town before coming back to his pad. After taking a quick shower, Mario put on a light gray shirt, a dark brown cap, dark brown overalls, and blue shoes. He drank his cup of coffee earlier than normal to keep him awake for the rest of the night and into the next day.

Fast forwarding almost eight hours to 9:50 AM, Mario went back to the Four Seasons to continue the pitching segment of his golf training. Upon arrival, Rocco was perplexed at Mario's outfit.

"How many outfits do you have, Mario?" Rocco asked.

"I have a lot," Mario answered. "I can't just stay in the red cap, red shirt, and blue overalls. Everyone has to have different outfits in their closet."

While Rocco and Mario went to the pitching green, Rocco asked, "How did you sleep last night?"

"Terribly. I threw a tantrum last afternoon after I got home and passed out in the kitchen. I didn't wake up until 1 AM and I took a jog in the middle of the night."

"Looks like you're gonna fall asleep later today."

"No, I'm not," Mario said. "I drank enough caffeine to keep me awake all day."

During the training session, Mario had a bit of difficulty pitching from the bunker even though he did well from the first cut (the fringe along the fairway edge). Despite the bunker issue, Mario managed to master it by the end of the day.

"Great job, Mario. We'll practice a bit more pitching tomorrow before driving those balls," Rocco said.

"Perfect. It's about time I got to the driving segment," Mario remarked.

Before heading back home, Mario asked, "I was just wondering... May I come and visit Alex sometime this week?"

"Why, sure you can!" Rocco replied with excitement. "Alex will be so excited to see you there! What would work for you better? Saturday or Sunday?"

"I'll go on Sunday," Mario said. "Will you be at the hospital with him?"

"No. I have to watch Leah because Terry will be with Alex on that day."

"Terry's your wife, right?" Mario asked.

"She is. I'm sure she'll also be excited to see you too."

"All right-y. Goodbye, Rocco," Mario bid Rocco goodbye before spawning his Warp Pipe.

"See ya on Monday."

* * *

It's now 1:02 PM. Mario is over at Luigi's mansion to tell him about Alex and his new tournament goals.

"That's so sad... I can't help but feel sorry for the poor boy..." Luigi said with sympathy.

"Me too, bro," Mario acknowledged Luigi. "After I heard about Alex's cancer, I've decided to change my reasoning for playing in the open."

"Is it about raising money?" Luigi asked.

"Exactly. I initially entered the open because I wanted to prove everyone how great I was at golf but hearing me say that makes me feel selfish."

"You're not selfish, Mario. You've always cared for everyone around you," Luigi said.

"And I want to up it more. Whatever I win by the end, using the top prize as an example, I'm donating one-fifths to the Parkland Hospital's cancer charity," Mario explained. "This is going to be for Alex. Not me."

"Brilliant choice. I figured donating to charity would help with Alex's treatment," Luigi stated.

"Will you do me a favor and let Princess Peach and her sisters know about this?" Mario requested.

"Not Aqua. She's too young to learn about cancer," Luigi replied. "But I'll tell Princess Peach and Daisy for sure."

"Are they playing in the open?"

"As a matter of fact, all three of them are in," Luigi said. "Aqua said volleyball's her favorite, but she's okay with golfing."

Before Mario left the mansion, he told Luigi, "On Sunday, I'm going to the hospital to see Alex. Do you want to come with me?"

"I'd love to, bro. But I got to practice for the tournament at Blooper Bay. Sorry."

"Okay. Maybe next time, you'll get to meet Alex," Mario said before heading back to his pad.


	14. 5A - Visiting Alex

_**Chapter 5**_

**5A - Visiting Alex**

It's 10:32 AM on July 13, 2003. Mario started up the Faraway Warp Zone in preparation for his trip to the Parkland Hospital to meet Rocco's son Alex. While typing in the coordinates of the hospital, Mario told himself, "Be yourself, Mario. Don't force yourself to do everything at once. Let Alex's interaction with you make things easy."

Even though Mario felt a bit more nervous than when he first went to the Four Seasons, he had confidence in making Alex happy. Without further ado, Mario entered the Warp Pipe for the short ride to the Parkland Hospital's parking lot. Just yesterday, Rocco told his wife Terry to meet Mario near where he was supposed to spawn. Upon arrival, Mario saw Terry near the crosswalk leading to the hospital entrance and walked up to her.

"Hi, Mario!" Terry greeted Mario before giving him a short hug. "I'm so happy to meet you!"

"Me too, Terry," Mario replied. "I'm looking forward to meeting Alex, but I'm feeling a bit nervous."

"Why? Are you worried you'll mess it up?"

"No. I don't want to accidentally scare him," Mario said.

"Don't say that. You're a really nice guy," Terry reassured Mario. "I know your intention is not to scare children."

"Thank you." Mario took a deep breath. "I think I'm ready."

"Great! Let's go inside," Terry said while leading Mario through the main entrance and towards the elevator that would take them both to the fifth floor. After exiting the elevator, both walked to the right and stopped at the fourth door to the left. Alex's room was right in front of them.

"Now, here's the plan, Mario," Terry quietly instructed Mario. "You wait over here, and I'll go in and tell Alex that there's a surprise visitor who wants to meet him. After I leave the room, you stand just outside the doorway and jump inside. The rest is all yours."

"Okey-dokey."

Without further ado, Terry walked inside Alex's room. Because of the chemotherapy he went through so far, Alex's scalp hair was completely gone; but other than that, he looked fine on the outside. Luckily, his next chemo session would not be for another three days, hence why he didn't have an IV in his right arm. However, Alex was told not to overexert himself by running. Alex was standing near the left side of his bed when Terry walked in.

"Hi, Alex," Terry said.

"Hi, Mommy. What is it?" Alex asked.

"I have some big news: there's a special person who really wants to meet you. He's very gentle and friendly, so don't be scared. Okay?"

"Okay," Alex replied. "Who is he?"

"You'll see. Just stay where you are," Terry told Alex before walking out the room.

"All right, Mario. Have fun with him," Terry said just as Mario took a few steps until he was slightly inside the doorway.

Mario took a deep breath before counting down from three inside his head. Then, he crouched down and leaped inside the room shouting, "YAHOO!"

Upon hearing Mario's joyful cry, Alex flinched with surprise until Mario landed in front of him and did a pose before waving hello with his fingers. Alex gasped and partially covered his mouth with his left hand.

"Hello, Alex! It's-a me, Mario!" Mario exclaimed before kneeling and holding his arms out. Alex let out a short squeal of glee and speed-walked to Mario to give him a big hug. Because Mario was bigger than Alex (Alex's height is 3 feet, 2 inches), his arms nearly enveloped Alex completely as he returned the hug.

"How are you today, buddy?" Mario asked before letting go of Alex.

"I'm so happy!" Alex replied with extreme excitement. "It's really you!"

At the same time, Terry took out her camera and took several pictures of both. Alex was unaware of Terry taking the pictures because the camera didn't flash.

"Oh, mamma mia. I'm so glad to meet you," Mario said.

"Me too." For a second, Alex wondered if he was dreaming. "Is... Is this a dream?"

"No, it isn't. This is all real. I came all the way from the Mushroom Kingdom to see you," Mario replied. Alex sat on Mario's left knee before Mario put his arm around Alex.

"You having a lovely day today?" Mario asked.

"Yes. It was okay," Alex replied. Terry came in with the camera and stood in front of Alex and Mario.

"I need to get some pictures of you two," she said. "This is so cute."

"All right-y!" Mario interjected. "Smile really big, Alex," he told Alex. Before Terry snapped a couple pictures of both, Mario did the V-sign with his right hand.

"Why do you do this with your hand?" Alex asked while mimicking Mario's V-sign.

"It's one way of showing how happy I am," Mario replied. "You should do it too!"

Terry took one more picture of Mario and Alex; this time, Alex also did the V-sign with his left hand. As soon as Terry put the camera away, tears of joy slowly rolled down her face.

"Wow... I can't believe what I'm seeing..." Terry cried. "You and your favorite video game character together..."

Alex got off Mario's knee and stood in front of him. "Where's Luigi?" he asked.

"He couldn't come with me," Mario answered. "I'm sorry. I don't know why, but I promise he'll get to meet you next time."

"Okay. Did you meet my big sister?"

"I did!" Mario said. "Your sister Leah was so precious! But she was a bit shy when she first saw me."

"Leah's like that when she meets a new friend," Terry chimed in. "But she'll calm down the more she spends time with him." Terry began to walk out of the room. "I'll leave you two be for now."

"So, what's your favorite _Mario_ game, buddy?" Mario asked.

"Um... _Super Mario 64_..." Alex replied with slight hesitation.

"Yippee!" Mario exclaimed before giving Alex a high-five. "That's my favorite of all time! I got these Power Stars from different places around the world and saved Princess Peach in the end. She was so happy that she kissed me on the nose and baked me a yummy cake."

"That's nice..." Alex said. "But... There's something I...didn't like about...the game..."

"What's wrong?" Mario asked, seeing the concern in Alex's face.

"Leah was playing with me...and we lost everything..." Alex paused for a moment before continuing. He was slowly tearing up. "You said 'Game Over'...and your face...scared me..." Alex finally started crying, having pictured the "Game Over" he got back then.

Mario felt sorry for Alex and said, "Oh, buddy... Come here..." He gave Alex another hug. "I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to scare you..."

"Why did...you do that...?"

"I was just trying to be funny. You know, make kids laugh." Just as Mario finished his explanation, he started tickling Alex while hugging him. Alex laughed so much that he stopped crying and felt happy again.

"Th-that... That t-tickles!" Alex squealed in between laughs. Mario chuckled a bit after letting go of Alex.

"You feeling better, buddy?"

"Yes. Thank you for making me laugh."

"You're welcome," Mario answered. "This is what I like about you. You're an adorable and happy little boy."

"Can you do that jump, please?" Alex asked.

"Of course! I can jump really high!" Mario said as he stood up and backed up a couple steps. "Watch this!" Mario jumped up while holding his right fist toward the ceiling and proceeded to backflip after the first landing. Finally, he posed at the end and sung, "Tada!"

Alex hopped with joy and clapped his hands rapidly. "Yay! Do it again!"

"Okey-dokey!" Mario did the same jumps again and exclaimed, "Wahoo!" after the second landing.

"That was cool!" Alex said as Mario took a bow.

"Thank you very much! I bet you can jump like me!"

"Uh... I can't do that," Alex said, knowing that he's too little to jump like Mario.

"Yes, you can! Here. Let me help you," Mario responded before lifting Alex in the air and spinning him around twice. "Wheee!"

"This is so fun!" Alex giggled. Mario kneeled in front of Alex again.

"Hey, Alex. You want to hear a secret?" Alex sat on Mario's right knee.

"I love secrets!" Alex replied.

"Okey-dokey! Now, before I tell you my secret, I want you to promise me you won't tell anyone. Let's keep this between the two of us. Okay?"

Alex nodded in agreement. Mario cupped his left hand around Alex's left ear and whispered, "In two weeks, there's gonna be a _Mario_ golf game coming out. You're going to love it so much. The cool thing is you're gonna get your game two days before it comes out." Alex smiled really big.

"I'll be back on that day to give you the _Mario_ golf game and I'll sign my name on the box. There's also a surprise you'll get to see when you start playing it. How about that?"

"Okay," Alex answered.

After Mario finished his secret, he placed his index finger in front of his lips. "Shh."

Seconds later, Terry walked back into the room and asked Alex, "How's it going with Mario?"

"It's really fun!" Alex replied. "Mario did a high jump and I said what my favorite '_Mario_' game is."

"That's great!" Terry remarked. She turned her head slightly to the wall and looked at the clock, which indicated it was 10:44 AM. "Um, Alex?"

"Yes, Mommy?"

"I think it's time for Mario to go," Terry said.

"What?!" Alex gasped with shock. He started to tear up again.

"I'm sorry, but Mario's got to leave now."

"No! No! He can't go!" Alex cried as he grabbed Mario's left hand. "Please, Mario!"

"Terry, can you step outside for a minute?" Mario asked. Terry walked outside again before Mario turned to Alex, who was sobbing uncontrollably. He hugged Alex again and shushed him softly.

"It's okay, Alex... Don't cry..."

"D-don't g-go, Ma-Mario...!" Alex wept.

"I know. I know you want me to stay," Mario said. "But I have other things to do right now. I wish I can stay longer and have more fun with you, but I have to go. I'm sorry."

"B-but I..." Alex hesitated. "I c-can't...say...b-bye yet..." Mario gently wiped the tears off Alex's face.

While comforting Alex, Mario remembered saying goodbye to one of his beloved friends, Jim Heeding, back in November 1990 after saving Peach from Bowser in Dinosaur Land.

_*13 YEARS AGO*_

_"Buddy. Listen to me. Please," Mario said. But Jim couldn't get himself to look at Mario; some of his tears fell through his fingers. "Just because I say goodbye, it doesn't mean you won't see me again."_

_"W-what...d-does it...mean...?" Jim stammered._

_"There's always a way to come back to the Mushroom Kingdom. This isn't a one-time only trip."_

_"H-how do...you kn-know...?" Jim wept. He finally looked up at Mario, who wiped the tears off Jim's face._

_"I think that the telephone game you have can take you here and back as many times as you want," Mario explained._

_"Okay..." Jim replied._

_"Me and Luigi are gonna stay in Dinosaur Land for one week before we get back home. So, if it makes you feel any better, you can visit us at any time after our vacation. We'll be more than glad to welcome you with open arms," Mario reassured Jim._

_"Thank you..." Jim responded. By now, he had calmed down a tad bit even though he was still sad._

_"I'm sorry you can't come with us this week," Mario said as Jim lowered his head._

_*PRESENT DAY*_

After flashing back to that emotional goodbye, Mario also teared up, but managed to keep his composure.

"I know it's hard, buddy," Mario coaxed Alex. "But I promise I'll visit you from time to time. So, there's no need to worry. Okay?"

"Okay..." Alex answered after taking a deep breath; he gave Mario one more hug.

"I'll miss you, Mario..." Alex murmured.

"I'll miss you too, Alex. And I love you more than any other friend I ever made," Mario whispered. After nine more seconds, Alex stopped hugging Mario and stood on the floor again before Mario did the same.

"Mamma mia. I can't believe how small you are," Mario remarked as he looked down at Alex.

"Yes, I am small," Alex replied. By now, he has calmed down fully.

"All right-y. I'm going to go now, buddy. I had a lot of fun spending time with you," Mario said.

"Me too, Mario." Mario shook Alex's hand before waving goodbye with his fingers.

"Buh-bye, Alex."

"Bye, Mario," Alex returned the goodbye.

Shortly thereafter, Mario leaped out the door shouting, "WAHOO!"

From the time Mario entered the room to his departure, Alex was under the impression that Mario left his world and went back without a trace. Terry walked back inside and approached Alex.

"How awesome was that, Alex? Mario came from his world to see you and he disappeared like this," Terry snapped her fingers to indicate that Mario was actually gone, when in reality, Mario stood against the wall to the right of the doorway.

"Yeah. That was cool," Alex said.

"All right. I'm gonna go get you an apple from the snack room, okay?"

"Okay."

And with that, Terry walked outside again to lead Mario back to the parking lot where he initially spawned before his visit. At the same time, she also kept her promise of giving Alex a Granny Smith apple to eat after Mario went back to his pad.


	15. 5B - Mastering the Driving

**5B - Mastering the Driving**

It's 11:10 AM on July 21st. For the last six training sessions including today's, Mario has been using three different kinds of woods (driving, 3, and 4) to practice hitting balls hundreds of yards out, which is key for tee shots as well as subsequent shots on Par 5 holes that extend as much as 550 yards.

For each of the driving sessions, Rocco monitored Mario's drives using a Laser Rangefinder device. On average, Mario has been able to hit 212 yards, but he told himself continuously that he can hit a longer distance.

"The only way you can hit longer than 212 is to focus only on the ball, Mario," Rocco instructed Mario. "Do not let any background noise distract you; not even a single whisper. It's just you and the ball alone."

The minute Rocco finished his instruction, Mario wanted to push himself to say, "I'll try", but he knew that saying he'll try makes it sound like he'll barely put any effort into the drive. All he did instead was nod his head in agreement.

"You okay, Mario? I know you want to say something," Rocco said, having noticed an anxious look on Mario's face.

"Listen... I wanted to say, 'I'll try.', but...I'm worried that you'll say that there's no trying," Mario admitted.

"You know what? It IS true most of the time," Rocco agreed. "Usually, your only option is to do it, but I know that it takes time for you to actually do it. Trying makes perfect just like practicing." Having heard Rocco's advice, Mario let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks,"

"It's all right, Mario. There's no need to be anxious," Rocco said. "I do want to add in that if you worry about the little things like you said during the fireworks, that's also gonna cause you to fall behind or even get you off to a rough start."

Mario proceeded to tee up three balls in a straight line towards him and made sure that they were evenly spaced apart in case the driver accidentally hit two balls at once.

"You're not doing the rapid-fire driving, are you?" Rocco asked.

"No. I'm just making it easy so that I don't have to lean over and tee up each ball after every shot," Mario replied.

After placing himself in front of the ball closest to him, Mario stood in the proper position and imagined himself on a deck of clouds in the sky with no one surrounding him and nearly complete silence. As Mario made his first drive, he literally felt like he wasn't in the Four Seasons at all, but rather in his immersive fantasy. It took Rocco's comment of how good the drive was to snap Mario out of it.

"Well done, Mario! You hit 235 yards, which is a good improvement," Rocco remarked, having looked at his yardage handheld.

"I guess I took your advice literally," Mario said.

"What do you mean?"

"I felt like I was up on the clouds with nothing but blue skies, myself, and my golfing set," Mario explained.

"That wasn't what I meant when I told you to not let anything distract you," Rocco protested calmly.

"But that's what you said, right?" Mario questioned.

"I guess so..." Rocco answered. "You know what? You make a good point; immersing yourself is one way to focus on your swings."

"And it takes a bit of noise to get my bearings again," Mario added in. "Obviously, it's going to be the applause that'll help me with that."

Without hesitation, Mario did the same thing with the other two balls and upped his long drive more and more; the second drive went 255 yards while the third went 272 yards. Rocco was speechless for a few moments but managed to accept Mario's way of hitting long drives.

"I don't even know what to say right now," Rocco said with slight shock. "You probably have mastered the driving segment, but we still have to practice until the 25th."

"I'll bet you by the last session, I'll be able to drive 300 yards," Mario boasted.

"Don't get too cocky, Mario," Rocco warned Mario. "If you rely on your strategy too much, it could throw you off."

"But didn't you see I hit 272?" Mario asked. "I can do better than that and win the open easily!"

"Easily, huh? You know there are other methods you can use to focus properly. I can teach you them."

"Not today, Rocco," Mario said. "Maybe next time."

"There's no next time, Mario. These next four sessions are your last chances. You've got to make those count."

"And if your strategies don't work?"

"They WILL work, Mario," Rocco persuaded Mario. "I've been in your shoes before. I disregarded my trainer's advice and nearly crapped out before coming back at the last second. I don't want you to go down that same path. Do you understand?"

Mario let out another sigh. "Okay. I do understand."

"Are you sincere?"

"I always mean what I say, Rocco," Mario said.

"All right. Let's continue the driving for today, but I expect you to listen to my strategies starting tomorrow. Please."

For now, Rocco and Mario forgot the matter and finished up the day with Mario hitting the long drives using his "fantasy-world" method. Will it actually work during the open, or will Mario begin to flounder after a while?


	16. 5C - Alex's Special Gift

**5C - Alex's Special Gift**

It's 5:25 PM on July 26th. Mario had just entered Luigi's mansion to give him an update on the secret that he told Alex on the 13th.

"To remind you, Luigi; fifteen days ago, I met up with Mr. Kimishima in New York and told him all about Alex," Mario said, referring to Tatsumi Kimishima: the CEO of Nintendo of America. "He agreed that Alex deserves to be the first to play _Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour_ because of how special he is."

As of today, the Nintendo GameCube game _Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour_ is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 28th, which also means it's the official release date anywhere in the Real-Life Earth.

"So, what's the update, bro?" Luigi asked.

"Last Thursday, Mr. Kimishima said that Nintendo spent the last two weeks modifying one of the copies to dedicate it specifically to Alex and I promised that I would be the one to hand it over tonight," Mario went on.

"Can I come and meet Alex?"

"I'm getting there," Mario replied. "During my visit with Alex, he said he wanted to meet you so badly, so that's why I was gonna ask you to come with me."

"Brilliant! I can't wait!" Luigi exclaimed. "When are we leaving?"

"5:50. We need to be at the hospital no later than 6 PM," Mario explained. "Not only will Rocco be with Alex, but Leah's also gonna be there."

"Then that means I get to meet Leah for the first time too!"

"Yeah. Lucky you," Mario said. "One more thing to mention: they're ordering pizza for dinner, but I don't want you eating it all in one go. I told Rocco that we would save some for Alex. I know you love pizza like I do, but I don't want Alex to cry because he got none."

"Me neither. I promise I'll cut back," Luigi responded.

"All right-y. Meet me at my pad at a quarter to 6, please," Mario said before leaving the mansion.

Sixteen minutes later, Luigi arrived at Mario's Pad, ready to head to the Parkland Hospital for this special evening.

"Before I turn on the FWZ, I want to give you some advice since this is your first time," Mario told Luigi as they entered the basement. "If you have a list of things to talk with Alex about or to entertain him with, don't do them all at once. And above all that, be yourself and don't pretend you're perfectly fine."

"I understand, Mario," Luigi replied. It took nearly a minute for Mario to set up the spawn point near the front entrance of the Parkland Hospital before he activated the Warp Pipe.

"Ready, Luigi?" Mario asked.

"Let's-a go." Mario chose to be respectful and allowed Luigi to go first before he went in. Twelve seconds later, Mario and Luigi hopped out the other end of the Warp Pipe and proceeded to walk into the lobby where Rocco was there to greet them.

"Great to see you again, Luigi," Rocco said while shaking Luigi's hand. "It's been a while since we first met." What Rocco referred to was his only other meeting with Luigi on the 14th prior to Mario's training session.

"So, where's the box, Rocco?" Mario asked.

"One of the nurses is bringing it out right now," Rocco replied. Right on cue, a nurse in her late 20s came out with a rolling cart on which Alex's gift sat. It turned out to be a bundle of a Nintendo GameCube console alongside three personalized _Mario_ games for Alex, with _Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour_ being one of them. The sides of the box featured artwork from previous games starting with _Super Mario 64_ while the top bore a combination of Mario's pictures with Leah and Alex spliced side-by-side. Finally, the two pictures had Mario and Luigi's signatures written on them just like Mario promised before.

"That looks fantastic." "I love it," Mario and Luigi remarked respectively.

"I'll go ahead before you guys," Rocco instructed the Mario Bros. "Ma'am, you follow behind Mario and Luigi and wait until they say that there's a surprise for Alex."

As the nurse nodded her head in agreement, Mario asked, "Where are Alex and Leah?"

"They're in the game room on the fourth floor. It's to your left after the elevator. You'll see a sign that says, 'Games and Entertainment.' Luckily, the windows are translucent on the inside, so they won't see you until you open the door."

"Okey-dokey," Mario responded. Without hesitation, Rocco went ahead and took the elevator to the fourth floor.

* * *

Up in the game room, Alex and Leah sat on a small couch with a nurse in his early 30s. There was a medium-sized TV in front with an already hooked-up GameCube owned by the hospital.

"Where's Daddy?" Leah asked the nurse.

"He'll be here soon, Leah. Be patient," he said. Seconds later, Rocco knocked on the door before walking in and shutting it.

"Hi, Daddy," Leah and Alex greeted Rocco.

"Hey, kids. Are you excited?" Rocco asked.

"We are!" "Yes!" Alex and Leah replied respectively.

"All right! Stay seated towards the TV for now. You'll hear the knock, but don't turn around until the guest says hello," Rocco told Alex and Leah.

"Okay."

Outside the game room, the nurse with the GameCube bundle whispered to Mario and Luigi, "Good luck."

Wanting to keep quiet until the right time, Mario slowly approached the door with Luigi standing to his left. Mario then knocked on the door three times, prompting Rocco to say, "I wonder who's coming in."

"Me too," the male nurse acknowledged him.

Three seconds later, Mario opened the door and exclaimed his catchphrase, "Hello, everyone! It's-a me, Mario! Wahoo!"

As soon as they heard Mario's voice, Alex and Leah quickly turned around and screamed with joy before running into Mario's arms after he kneeled in front.

"Oh, mamma mia! It's so nice to see you two again!" Mario said.

Before Alex and Leah could return the greeting, Rocco eyeballed Luigi walking in and cheered, "Look who Mario brought with him!"

"Hello!" Luigi greeted Alex and Leah with enthusiasm, waving hello with his fingers. Almost immediately, they ran up to Luigi and gave him a big hug.

"LUIGI!" Alex and Leah squealed.

"Oh, this is so sweet..." Rocco said to himself. After the greeting was over, he gathered everyone at a round table for a quick briefing.

"First off, thank you, Mario and Luigi, for coming over. It really means a lot to us, especially Alex himself," Rocco stated. "And Alex, remember when Mario said two weeks ago that he would see you again before his big golf game on Monday?"

"Yeah."

"Well, me and your daddy met with Nintendo and told them all about you," Mario added in. "They said, 'Good job on trying so hard to fight that sickness.' And as a present for doing so, they were nice enough to give you something that will brighten your life."

Just as Mario finished explaining what he and Rocco talked with Nintendo about, the female nurse rolled the GameCube bundle in the game room and said, "Surprise!"

Everyone turned to the box and cheered loudly, but not loud enough to disturb the other patients.

"Would you look at that, Alex?" Mario asked Alex. "It's a _Mario_ video game set just for you!"

Mario went up to the cart and took the box to the round table. Luckily, the tape on the box was loosened up, so there was no need to use a box cutter. Before Alex opened the box, he gazed at the artwork on the sides and the two pictures on the top.

All Alex could say was "Wow!" Then, Mario helped Alex open the box slowly, revealing a red-colored GameCube console with two red "A" symbols on either side, four red-colored controllers for multiplayer games, a special letter from Tatsumi Kimishima, and the three _Mario_ games Rocco mentioned to the Mario Bros. earlier.

Everyone wowed in awe while Alex took out the _Mario_ games: _Super Mario Sunshine_, _Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour_, and _Mario Party 4_.

"Why don't you read the letter, son?" Rocco asked Alex while he handed the letter to Alex.

"Dear Alex Peterson, I hope you are having an awesome summer so far! The one and only Mario met with me the other day and told me all about you and your current situation. I'm so proud of you for doing your best to fight that cancer and showing your family and friends how you mean the world to them. All of us at Nintendo appreciate you as a fan of our video games and their respective characters. And as a special gift to you, Alex, we present to you a Nintendo GameCube system and three _Mario_ games with your name on them. Our last thing to give you is the reassurance that you will live a happy life full of wonderful moments. Have fun, Mr. Kimishima: Boss of Nintendo."

Following the end of Kimishima's letter, everyone applauded again for his generosity.

"All I can say is that letter was well-written," Rocco said. "Remember to write Mr. Kimishima a thank-you note, Alex."

As Alex acknowledged Rocco's instruction with, "Yes, Daddy," Luigi took the _Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour_ game over to the hospital's GameCube.

"You ready to play, buddy?" Luigi asked.

"I'm ready!"

While Luigi helped Alex set up the game, Mario told everyone, "Mr. Kimishima said that the game has an opening movie that shows me and my friends playing golf; I bet you're gonna have a good laugh while watching it."

After starting up the GameCube, Luigi sat on the couch with Alex and Leah on his left and right side respectively, while Mario sat next to Alex. Each of them had their own GameCube controller.

Obviously, the first thing that came up were the logos of the makers of the game: Nintendo and Camelot Software Planning. Wario and Waluigi held up the signs during that short scene.

The movie began with Mario and Luigi looking at a platinum trophy on a stand, giving the real-life Mario Bros. a bit of déjà vu.

Mario and Luigi giggled silently and briefly reflected on their practice games about one month ago. Their reactions were genuine because they never saw the opening movie before.

At the part where Luigi nearly sunk his ball in the hole following a long shot, Mario saw himself cheering for Luigi alongside Peach and Daisy and wondered, "Why am I cheering? I thought I was angry at that time."

Then came the funny moments where Wario and Waluigi went through their golfing misadventures up until they escaped Bowser via the yellow Warp Pipe. The main difference was that they played with Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong during the second half before Bowser got hit in the eye.

Near the end where Bowser's Bob-omb blew up in front of him, Wario, and Waluigi; Mario watched closely during the explosion and was relieved that they didn't show his rib injury, given that the game was made to be kid-friendly.

Finally, after the movie was over, there was a still shot of a teeing ground with Mario teeing up his ball and Luigi organizing his golf bag. Seconds later, they noticed the camera and walked up to it.

"Hello, Alex! It's-a me, Mario!" "And I'm Luigi!" the Mario Bros. greeted the camera. They were intending to talk to Alex as if he was inside the game with them.

"We're so glad you came to play with us!" Mario said.

"Yeah! Golfing is so much fun!" Luigi added in.

"We were just about to start a round of 18, but there's still room for one more player," Mario said.

"So, are you up for the challenge, buddy?" Luigi asked.

"Yeah!" Alex replied.

In the game, however, there was a three-second wait before Luigi spoke again, "Okey-dokey! Get your clubs ready!"

"Let's have a great game today!" Mario exclaimed while doing the V-sign.

Mario then set the camera near his ball before Luigi told him, "Good luck, bro."

"Thank you." Mario shushed the camera so as to not be distracted during his drive. As soon as Mario hit the ball, it soared across the screen, revealing the game title with Mario and Luigi announcing it.

Shortly thereafter, Mario and Luigi quickly faded into view and said, "You're our number-one buddy, Alex! Have fun!" While an iris shot transition occurred, the Mario Bros. waved goodbye to the camera, prompting everyone to applaud.

"Yay, buddy!" Mario cheered while shaking Alex's hand.

"Thank you so much!" Alex thanked Mario and Luigi. "That was a cool movie!"

"I'm glad you loved it," Rocco responded; he was standing behind the couch during the movie.

Without further ado; Mario, Luigi, Alex, and Leah began playing the game for the first time, starting off with a four-player stroke play. Obviously, the Mario Bros. played as themselves while Alex and Leah played as Yoshi and Daisy respectively.

As Mario paid attention while playing, he said to himself, "This is good practice even if it's just a video game." Saying that gave Mario the motivation to play well in the open.

The stroke play ended with Alex in first place, Luigi in second, Mario in third, and Leah in last.

"It's okay, Leah. You'll do better next time," Luigi assured Leah. She proceeded to get up from the couch and watched Alex and the Mario Bros. wrap up the _Mario Golf_ game with a tournament mode session. Each of them took turns per hole; Mario went first, Luigi went second, and Alex went third. All three controlled the in-game Mario during the tournament.

In the end, they managed to get the in-game Mario in first place, awarding him with the platinum trophy. Just before that, Alex made the birdie putt that finished it all.

"You did it, buddy!" Mario said to Alex while patting his shoulder.

"No," Alex replied. "It's your award. You won it."

In response, Mario leaped up and pumped his fist in the air with everyone cheering for him. Mario then lifted Alex up and spun him around two times before giving him a short hug. "Thank you so much, Alex!" Mario exclaimed.

Afterwards, a pizza deliverer from Dominos came in with three pepperoni pizzas for everyone to have for dinner. Mario and Luigi made sure to save enough slices for Rocco and his kids. Following dinner, Rocco took some pictures of the Mario Bros. with Alex and Leah.

For the next few hours; Mario, Luigi, Alex, and Leah played _Super Mario Sunshine_ and _Mario Party 4_ with Alex playing solo on the first game while all four played together on the second game. While Alex played _Super Mario Sunshine_, Mario thought, "I guess it's just me cleaning the island."

By the time everyone finished _Mario Party 4_, the male nurse looked at the clock, which indicated it was 8:30 PM.

"All right. I believe it's time for bed, Alex," the nurse said. This time, Alex was okay with saying goodbye to Mario and Luigi because it was his bedtime.

Rocco and the male nurse led Alex to his room with Leah and the Mario Bros. following behind them.

"Can we say good night to Alex?" Mario asked Rocco.

"Sure, you can. We'll be waiting out here until he goes to sleep," Rocco replied before turning to Alex. "Do you want me to come in too?"

"No, thank you," Alex said. "Just Mario and Luigi."

Alex and the Mario Bros. walked into his room before Mario helped Alex into his bed.

"Good night, Mario. Good night, Luigi," Alex said to Mario and Luigi, giving each of them one more hug.

"Good night, buddy." "We love you," Mario and Luigi responded.

After Alex made himself comfortable and started to fall asleep, Mario and Luigi turned off the lights before tiptoeing out of the room and shutting the door.

"Can we go home, Daddy?" Leah asked Rocco.

"Shh," Mario shushed Leah while placing his index finger in front of his lips. "Your little brother's sleeping."

"Okay."

The nurse stayed behind while the Mario Bros. went with Rocco and Leah to their car.

"Bye, Mario. Bye, Luigi," Leah bid goodbye to Mario and Luigi while opening the car door.

"Hey! Can we have a hug goodbye, please?" Mario asked while he and Luigi kneeled.

"Sorry."

As Mario hugged Leah, he whispered, "I love you, little princess."

"Buh-bye, Leah," Luigi said after embracing Leah, who went into the back seat and buckled her seat belt. As Rocco's car pulled away, Rocco and Leah waved goodbye to Mario and Luigi, who waved back.

"That turned out to be better than I thought," Mario told Luigi.

"Yeah. We had all the fun we wanted."

Mario then spawned his Warp Pipe for him and Luigi to head back to his pad for the night; Luigi was allowed to sleep over since he felt just as tired as Mario was.


	17. 6A - Pregame Lecture

_**Chapter 6**_

**6A - Pregame Lecture**

"All right, Mario. Let's go over the three strategies that you need to use to focus on the ball during the tournament," Rocco told Mario. It's 8:15 AM on July 27th; both are having their daily cups of coffee together at the closest Starbucks to Parkland Hospital. For today, Mario bore a green cap and shirt along with orange overalls and purple shoes.

"The first one is to keep yourself in the real world, but at the same time, pretend you're wearing noise-cancelling headphones. Remember when I said to not let any background noise distract you?"

"Yeah," Mario responded.

"Compared to your so-called 'fantasy-world' thing, this realistic method is more effective because you're actually seeing the pin from where you are," Rocco explained. "The second one is similar, but try to imagine yourself alone on the golf course with no one watching. If you'd like, you can picture those graphics from the _Mario Golf_ game at the same time."

"Got it."

"Finally, it's all about not letting the little things get to you. Specifically, not fretting about winning the 200,000 Coin top prize," Rocco continued. "Convince yourself that it's just a normal game with no one competing against each other. Princess Peach even told you a month ago during your practice game that it's all for fun. So, you got the hang of it, Mario?"

"I believe so. I'll try not to immerse myself too much," Mario replied.

"You didn't immerse yourself too much back then," Rocco said. "Well, you were close to doing so after driving that third and final ball."

Letting out a sigh of anxiety, Mario murmured, "I'm so sorry I brushed off your help that day. I thought it over and realized how much of a jerk I was."

"You're not a jerk, Mario," Rocco reassured Mario. "You just didn't know better." But Mario didn't pay attention and started tearing up.

"But I got too cocky..." Mario trembled as he took his cap off. "I... I should've listened when...I had the chance..." Rocco scooted next to Mario and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Mario. It's okay. I'm not against you," Rocco said. "I'm just trying to help you so you don't mess up. You have the potential of being an excellent golfer. You should have what it takes to brighten Alex's life even more than last night."

"B-but... I..." Mario started to say, but couldn't let anything out because of him crying. He took one of his napkins and blew his nose.

"This is what I told you earlier. You're worrying about the little things again," Rocco stated. "There's no point stressing about three minutes of bragging before moving on. I understand you feel bad about it, but it's not that big of a deal. Believe me."

"But I... I can't help it..." Mario complained. "It just happens..."

"I don't know what else to say about you being anxious. All I can say is just take a deep breath and try your best to forget it completely. It's been dealt with already."

Suddenly, Mario got up with his coffee and began to walk out the door.

"Where are you going?" Rocco asked.

"I need to calm down..."

"Okay. Just don't go too far out."

Mario walked slowly to the edge of the parking lot and stood still for a couple seconds before throwing his coffee on the ground and stomping the cup flat. He screamed a string of profanity, attracting the attention of several bystanders.

Seeing Mario's overreaction from inside, Rocco sighed with disappointment before saying to himself, "I didn't mean for Mario to get like this when lecturing him."

After six more minutes, Mario walked back inside and sat next to Rocco again.

"Sorry, Rocco," Mario apologized with a scratchy voice before putting his cap on. "I had to let it out."

"It's all cool. But you kind of embarrassed yourself out there," Rocco replied.

"I know. I saw that after I swore."

"Do you still understand those strategies we went over?" Rocco asked.

"Yeah, I do. I just couldn't pay attention during that last one."

After a half-minute of silence, Mario offered, "Do you want to come and watch the open? It would be nice if you came over."

"I was just about to ask that," Rocco responded. "I'll be more than glad to advise you every few holes if you want."

"Thank you."

"If you want to know where I am, look for a white cap that has the NBC logo with 'PGA' written in front. But don't let that distract you," Rocco instructed as both stood back up.

"I understand. Well, have a nice day, Rocco," Mario said while walking ahead.

"You too." Mario proceeded to spawn his Warp Pipe in the parking lot before going back to his pad. For a couple minutes, Rocco stood on the sidewalk staring into the distance.

"I really hope Mario starts off strong. He can't do things his way in a tournament like that."


	18. 6B - A Rough Start

**6B - A Rough Start**

It's 7:30 AM on July 28th: the first day of the Cheep Cheep Falls Open. Mario and Luigi have just arrived at Peach's castle where a breakfast banquet is being held. Also attending the banquet were Peach herself, her sisters Daisy and Aqua, Toadsworth, and Toad.

"You're just in time, guys," Peach said as Mario and Luigi walked into the dining room. "They're about to serve our breakfast."

"What are they cooking?" Mario asked.

"They've got omelets, pancakes, waffles, bacon, everything you'd like," Toadsworth replied. Mario and Luigi proceeded to take their seats; Luigi sat between Toadsworth and Daisy while Mario sat between Aqua and Toad. Peach sat on the end closest to the back wall.

Within five minutes, the chefs walked in with special orders for each of the attendants; Mario and Luigi each got a ham-and-cheese omelet, Peach and Daisy each got a bowl of oatmeal with small servings of brown sugar and cinnamon to mix in, Aqua got a Belgian waffle with whipped cream and syrup, Toadsworth got two fried eggs with a small steak and buttered toast, and Toad got a breakfast patty melt. The drinks to choose from were iced water, orange juice, and coffee. There was no need to say grace because the breakfast banquet wasn't too formal.

"Mamma mia. Your waffle's really big," Mario remarked, having looked at Aqua's waffle.

"I know. Peach told the chefs to make it as big as my plate," Aqua responded.

"Do you want some of my omelet, Aqua?" Mario offered.

"No, thanks. I'm gonna be full after I finish my waffle."

Meanwhile, Luigi and Daisy had their own conversation.

"What are you predicting your score will be, sweetie?" Daisy asked Luigi.

"I really don't know. I'm just gonna play the way I trained myself to and see where I end up after today," Luigi responded.

"I think I'm gonna end up with 60 just because."

"Good luck with that. Toadsworth, how's your steak?"

"They did it medium like I asked them to. Perfect quality," Toadsworth said after cutting into his steak.

After 31 minutes, everyone was ready for the ride to the Cheep Cheep Falls golf course, which is 50 minutes away from the castle with no traffic. However, Mario took a detour to his pad because he asked Rocco to come and watch the tournament, which means that Mario had to use the Faraway Warp Zone to help Rocco into the Mushroom World. After arriving at Mario's Pad, Rocco appeared to be in his live-action form with his surroundings completely animated.

"Wow. Nice house you've got," Rocco said while looking around the inside of Mario's Pad.

"Thank you. But I don't have time to give you a full tour. We got to get to Cheep Cheep Falls now," Mario responded as both walked out the front door to his kart. Mario then drove his kart straight to Cheep Cheep Falls. At the golf course, there were about 39,000 spectators that surrounded most of the 18 holes. By the time Rocco and Mario found a good parking spot, it was 9:10 AM.

"When's your tee time, Mario?" Rocco asked.

"10:10. I've got some time to practice on the range," Mario responded. On his way to the driving range, Mario glanced at the forested areas that bordered each of the holes as well as a wide river that flowed through the middle of the whole course and a waterfall located on the northern end.

Mario chose to not hit his personalized balls on the range for sentimental reasons and the fact that he wouldn't be able to use the balls again during the open. For the next 45 minutes, Mario drove an average of 230 yards while practicing his pitching shots on the closest green to his tee box.

After checking his phone clock which read 9:55 AM, Mario said to himself, "Well, this is it. This is what I've been waiting for all these weeks." He picked up his golfing set and made his way to one of the course's golf carts to drive to Hole 1; Rocco was standing within the audience, which meant that Mario was on his own.

"Ladies and gentlemen, now on the tee is Mario Aristide Mario," an unseen announcer called out to the spectators. Everyone started applauding for Mario as he approached the tee box and set his ball down on the tee.

As Mario gripped his club and took his stance, he thought to himself, "Okay. Think happy thoughts. They're all cheering for you. No one wants you to do badly."

He was so nervous since his heart was pounding fast and his hands were shaking a little bit. Mario managed to force himself to stop shaking and glanced down the fairway. Everyone suddenly quieted down to allow Mario to concentrate. After Mario looked at the ball again, he took a deep breath and began his swing. His initial drive appeared to be a dead straight line about 213 yards out, relieving Mario from worrying about messing up on the very first shot.

One factor to keep in mind about the tournament is that of the 30 players competing against each other, three of them play one hole similar to a stroke play before the next three go ahead. This allows the tournament to proceed at a steady pace without having to wait for each of the 30 complete one hole before moving on. Another factor is that with the exception of driving up to Hole 1 and away from Hole 18, each player has to walk the entire course while playing; even between holes.

Playing alongside Mario were Peach and Yoshi; both of which have nearly the same average drive distance (205 yards). After all three made their tee shots, Peach and Mario stepped aside to allow Yoshi to hit his second shot.

"Good luck, Yoshi," Mario whispered under his breath. To everyone's surprise, Yoshi's ball hit the pin and stopped only a couple feet from the hole. While everyone was impressed at the pin shot, Mario could only groan with irritation because he knew it would throw him off.

During his second shot, Mario chose to cancel out all the noise around him, but it turned out to not work because he imagined them cheering for Yoshi only. Because of that, Mario's ball hooked and buried itself in the bunker to the left of the hole; only half the ball was stuck inside. By the end, Peach and Yoshi each got a birdie while Mario got a bogey.

"Don't sweat it," Mario said to himself. "It's only the first hole." On Hole 2, Mario again hit 213 yards on the tee shot. He intended to use his second strategy and picture himself as the only one on the golf course; however, he inadvertently fantasied himself on the cloud deck, making him unable to focus on the hole. As a result, his ball sunk in the right-side water hazard.

"Oh God..." Mario muttered. "I didn't mean to use the fantasy method..." His score stood at 10 prior to Hole 3. By the ninth hole, Mario had a score of 41, Peach had a 30, and Yoshi had a 29.

"I know it's Day 1, Mario, but you need to try harder," Rocco said to Mario during the hour-long break.

"I AM trying, Rocco," Mario replied. "I didn't expect to use the fantasy strategy. It probably happened because Yoshi made the pin shot."

"Just because someone made a pin shot doesn't mean it should ruin your chances of doing well," Rocco stated. Both took a look at the scoreboard before Mario resumed on Hole 10; he was in 7th place with Donkey Kong on top with 26.

"Remember that I can't be there on your side while you're playing," Rocco reminded Mario.

"I know. I'm aware of that."

At the end of the first day, Mario's stood at 10th place with a score of 80; Donkey Kong's nephew Diddy Kong took the lead at 59. Mario, Peach, and Yoshi walked up to Diddy Kong several minutes afterward to congratulate him.

"You did good, Diddy, but I want you to understand that I'm not the pro you think I am," Mario said. Diddy Kong wasn't capable of human speech; he made chimpanzee noises that comprised his lingo. Luckily, Yoshi was able to translate everything Diddy Kong said.

"Diddy says, 'It's all cool. I know you have no intention of bad-mouthing me for being in first place,'" Yoshi told Mario.

"I would never recommend playing catch-up, but that's your only option, Mario," Peach noted.

"But I didn't mean to get sidetracked back there," Mario protested.

"That's your problem, Mario," Yoshi responded. "But don't take it as an offense."

"I get it. That's been one of my problems during my training."

After wrapping up his conversation with Peach, Yoshi, and Diddy Kong; Mario approached Rocco, who was standing by the scoreboard.

"Can I give you a tip?" Rocco asked.

"Sure."

"If any of the players hits an excellent shot such as a pin shot or a double eagle, don't let it influence you in a way that you're going to do worse than them. It's up to you to do just as good as the top five."

"Thanks," Mario said with a sigh. "I'm not sighing to get your attention. It's just a small habit."

"It doesn't bother me. Almost everyone sighs when irritated." Rocco replied.

And so, Mario drove Rocco back to his pad in order to take him back to the Real-Life Earth; at that point, the time was 3:15 PM. For the next three days, the tournament would utilize the same 18 holes with the difference being the pins and holes being shifted randomly at different points on the greens. How will Mario do on Day 2?

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**As you saw while Mario made his first shot of the day, that's where the intro took place before we rewound one month prior. I hope you're enjoying the story so far.**


	19. 6C - Playing Catch-up

**6C - Playing Catch-up**

It's the next day at 9:05 AM. Rocco and Mario have just arrived at Cheep Cheep Falls for Day 2 of the open. For this day, only about 25,000 people came to watch because the larger audience count was a result of the tournament's beginning.

"I knew this was gonna happen," Mario remarked upon parking his kart. "They only pile up for the first and last days."

"I know," Rocco replied as he looked around the parking lot. "Happens at almost every golf tournament unless it's the high school type." Rocco checked his watch. "Is it 10:10 again?"

"Close. My tee time is 10:20," Mario said while collecting his golfing set.

"May I come and watch you practice?"

"No, thanks. I'd prefer to be alone."

After Mario began practicing his drives and pitches again, he questioned himself, "Am I gonna blow it again? How can I change today?"

For the next ten minutes, Mario let those questions replay in his head all while hitting balls. Eventually, he started to tear up because he felt like he would let the performances of other players beat him up unexpectedly.

Mario put down his clubs and laid his hand on his brow. "I don't... I d-don't know i-if..." he whimpered.

Suddenly, Mario heard a familiar meek voice say, "Don't cry, Mario. It's okay."

Mario looked up ahead because he thought that was where the voice was coming from; it was Leah standing in front of him.

"L-Leah...?" Mario asked with confusion.

"You can do it, Mario. Me and my little brother are counting on you," Leah said. "Believe in yourself."

Mario slowly smiled with a couple tears rolling down his cheeks. "Thank you... I'll do what I can..."

Before Leah could say anything else, she disappeared instantly, saddening Mario a bit.

"No... L-little princess... C-come b-back..." Mario trembled. He was hallucinating all this time, but it still gave him some motivation to try harder.

Fast forwarding 55 minutes, Mario met up with Rocco again. Mario's eyes were a little red from crying.

"You okay, Mario?" Rocco asked.

"I saw her," Mario replied.

"Saw who?"

"Leah. She was standing in front of my tee box," Mario explained.

"Leah's not with us. You must have been daydreaming," Rocco said.

"No. It was real," Mario protested calmly. "I literally heard her tell me to believe in myself, but she disappeared..."

"Are you sure you want to play today?" Rocco asked with concern. "You might be losing it."

"I'm not crazy, Rocco. I can do it. Your kids are counting on me." Rocco thought it over for a few seconds.

"You know what? I actually agree with you," Rocco realized. "It's not just me who wants you to do your best. Alex and Leah want you to win too."

"I know. And that's why I'm going to get to the top of the scoreboard," Mario stated.

"Great," Rocco responded with a smile. "Before you go off to Hole 1, I want you to know that I have all the faith in you. Even your brother and your other friends have faith in you."

"That's true." Mario proceeded to board one of the clubhouse's carts and drive off to Hole 1. For today, Mario was playing alongside Daisy and Luigi; both have nearly equal drive distances (about 210 yards).

Just as the announcer called up Mario's name, Luigi said to him, "Try to have some fun, bro. It's not that stressful."

Mario nodded in agreement before teeing up his ball and taking his stance. Mario's initial drive was a bit better than yesterday because the wind from behind pushed the ball several yards further out, making the total distance 219 yards.

After Luigi and Daisy made their tee shots, Mario was to hit his ball next because the other tee shots went out as much as 225 yards thanks to the wind. Mario decided to pretend he was by himself during this short timeframe. To Mario's surprise, he also visualized the graphics from the _Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour_ game complete with the power bar, wind indicator, and the ball's trajectory.

Immediately after his second shot, Mario leaned forward a bit to try and track his ball, but it was hard for him to see it because of the sun's glare. A few seconds after he lost sight of the ball, the spectators started cheering loudly, confusing Mario briefly.

"You did it, Mario! You made an eagle!" Daisy exclaimed from behind.

"I... I did...?" Mario asked with disbelief.

"We all saw it! Great job!" Daisy high-fived Mario before Luigi did the same. Even though Mario was perplexed at his eagle, he thanked Luigi and Daisy anyway. After the first hole was out of the way, Mario looked at a small TV screen between Holes 1 and 2 that showed a replay of his eagle shot; he was stunned even more than when he made the shot earlier.

"What...the heck...?" Mario muttered. "On the first hole?" He decided to shake it off for now and continue onward. For the next two holes, Mario made a good improvement by scoring a birdie and a par respectively. Rocco visited Mario briefly before the fourth hole.

"I'm so proud of you so far!" Rocco said. "Keep doing what you're doing!"

"Thank you. When you get the chance, please call Leah and tell her I said thanks for cheering me on," Mario requested.

"Sure. I'll do it later today."

By the end of the front nine, Mario stood at 31, Luigi had a 35, and Daisy had a 40. In addition, Mario was in 3rd place with Wario on top with 27.

"I'm coming back at you, Wario. Just wait," Mario said to himself. On Hole 11, Mario hit his ball as if he was making a normal pitch shot. It landed a couple inches from the hole and slowly rolled into the cup, causing Mario to lay his hand on his heart in shock. Everyone applauded louder than when Mario made the eagle on Hole 1.

"I... I did not...just hit a...hole-in-one..." Mario hesitated.

Before Luigi went up to the tee, he saw Mario in his stunned mood and questioned, "Why aren't you jumping for joy and all that? Are you feeling excited?"

"I'm kinda happy, but..." Mario started to explain.

"But what?"

"I... I'm just taking this seriously."

"All right-y. No worries."

At the time Mario reached Hole 18, he stood at 60 with Luigi at 63 and Daisy at 66 respectively.

"Okay. Last hole of the day," Mario told himself. "At least make another birdie." Again, Mario tried blocking all the noise around him prior to his tee shot, which worked perfectly because of his improving score and Leah's ghost's motivation. Mario's ball landed 214 yards down the fairway after hooking to the left a small bit, but it didn't bother him this time.

On his third shot, which occurred from the semi-rough left of the green, Mario chipped onto the green and his ball rolled until it was half an inch from the hole, shocking Mario for a moment. Suddenly, the ball managed to sink itself in the cup because it was halfway over the rim. Mario buried his face in his hands and cried tears of joy as everyone gave him a standing ovation. His final score of the day was 63 and it put him at 2nd place below Red Yoshi's score of 60.

"Great job, Mario!" Red Yoshi congratulated Mario while high-fiving him. "I still can't believe you made a hole-in-one on #11!"

"Thanks, Red Yoshi. I didn't know I was gonna do it," Mario replied. "I thought it was just gonna be another birdie."

"Well, not this time. I'll see you tomorrow morning," Red Yoshi bid Mario goodbye before she joined the other players at the clubhouse's backyard.

"I saw you were crying after that last chip-in," Rocco pointed out after meeting up with Mario at the front entrance. "You must've been so happy."

"Yeah. No shack I was," Mario responded.

"I was just thinking, Mario: how about I treat you and Luigi to dinner later tonight?" Rocco offered.

"That sounds great!" Mario said. "Where are we eating at?"

"I don't know yet, but I'll think of something. Let's just go home first."

By the time Mario and Rocco drove into the pad's driveway, it was 3:45 PM.

"I promise I'll wear something nicer than this outfit," Mario told Rocco as they walked into the basement.

"You don't have to promise me, Mario," Rocco reassured Mario. "But have at it if you want."

After starting up the Faraway Warp Zone, Mario asked, "What time do you want us to meet you?"

"I'd say between 6:50 and 7:00 tonight."

"Deal. See you then."

Within a few minutes, Mario sent Rocco on his way back to his world and went upstairs to get ready for the dinner in a couple hours.


	20. 7A - This Didn't Go Well

_**Chapter 7**_

**7A - This Didn't Go Well**

"You feeling hungry, bro?" Mario asked Luigi, who walked into his pad at around 6:45 PM.

"I'm starving really bad," Luigi replied.

"Please tell me you're not craving pizza or pasta," Mario said.

"I never said I was."

For tonight's dinner, Mario kept his red cap, but wore a blue shirt in addition to red overalls. Luigi's outfit was similar, except his cap and overalls were green.

Back in Dallas, Texas, Rocco set up a 6:56 PM dinner reservation at Pappa Bros. Steakhouse near the Parkland Hospital because he was supposed to stay with Alex for the night. It was only a fifteen-minute wait, so there was no need to walk around town for a while before coming back to eat. One minute before the wait was over, the Mario Bros. arrived at the steakhouse.

"I see you reversed your colors, guys," Rocco remarked after seeing their outfits.

"Yeah. We always wore these outfits in Brooklyn back then," Mario responded.

"That was until a couple years after we saved Princess Peach in '85; we changed up the shirts and overalls so that people would recognize us better," Luigi added in.

"All right, Mr. Peterson. Follow me this way," a female waitress said, beckoning the Mario Bros. and Rocco to walk towards their table near the bottom-right corner of the restaurant.

"What do you plan on getting, Mario?" Rocco asked.

"I'll tell you after I look at the menu," Mario replied.

"I know I'm getting a New York strip," Luigi said. The waitress came back and asked the group what they wanted to drink; Mario and Luigi got some iced water while Rocco got a Sierra Mist.

"I'm thinking about a 16-ounce ribeye..." Mario wondered out loud.

"That's a good choice. Do you like eating off the bone?" Rocco questioned.

"Half the time, yes. But there are times when I don't want to cut my lips while eating."

Five minutes later, another waitress came over to the table and took the group's orders: Mario chose the 16-ounce ribeye with green beans, Luigi chose the 16-ounce New York strip with cheddar mashed potatoes, and Rocco chose the 20-ounce T-bone with a house salad and ranch dressing.

"Why don't we say grace, please?" Rocco asked.

"Go for it," Mario agreed as he, Luigi, and Rocco bowed their heads.

"Dear God, we thank you so much for bringing us together and..." Rocco began his prayer. However, in the midst of it, a musician in the middle of the restaurant started playing one of Beethoven's piano sonatas.

The sound of the piano being played distracted Mario, who began to slowly get agitated. In fact, he harked back to seven years ago when the Mad Piano at Big Boo's Haunt scared the daylights out of him.

_*SEVEN YEARS AGO*_

_Mario entered through the leftmost door to see what was in that room. All he could see was a grand piano that looked rather old and dusty._

"_Hmm... I think this place needs a little music. It's so quiet in here," Mario said. He sat in front of the piano and lifted the lid covering the keys._

"_Let's see if I can remember how to play this song..." Mario wondered. He started playing the title theme from _Super Mario World_, but after a few bars, Mario heard some growling from underneath and stopped playing._

"_What was that?" Mario got off the seat and backed up a few steps. _

_Suddenly, the piano turned 180 degrees and faced Mario; in the process, the piano knocked the seat over._

"_Did it just...?" Mario questioned in a nervous tone of voice. In an instant, the piano opened its cover, revealing a mouth with sharp teeth inside, and chomped its jaws repeatedly. It made loud noises as if someone banged their hands on the keys._

"_WWAAAHHH!" Mario cried as he ran for the door he went through. "GET ME OUTTA HERE!"_

_Luckily, Mario managed to escape before the piano could eat him whole._

_*PRESENT DAY*_

"Make it stop... Please..." Mario murmured under his breath. He threw his hands on his head after three more seconds, interrupting Rocco's grace.

"What's wrong, Mario?" Rocco asked.

"Tell him to stop! I don't want the piano on!" Mario yelled. His bad memory of the Mad Piano incident rang in his mind over and over again.

"Mario, lower your voice. People are looking at you," Luigi pointed out, having noticed most of the customers turn towards Mario. By now, Mario felt like his head was gonna explode and was crying.

"SHUT UP! BOTH OF YOU! SHUT UP!" Mario quickly got up from his seat and tried to find the exit. He blindly went down the center aisle only to see the piano out the corner of his left eye. He screamed loud enough to stop the musician from playing and hung a right before finding the exit just to his right-hand side.

"Geez. What's gotten into him?" Rocco asked Luigi, who got up from his seat too.

"I'll tell you in a minute. I'm gonna go after Mario," Luigi said as he made his way to the exit.

"We didn't even start eating..." Rocco muttered.

* * *

Back outside, Mario hurried out of the restaurant screaming, "GET ME OUTTA HERE! I DON'T WANT THE-" Suddenly, Mario tripped over a parking curb and landed face first on the ground; he cried even harder than earlier and couldn't get himself to stand. Luigi saw Mario trip and fall and ran up to his side.

"You okay, bro?" Luigi asked.

"DON'T TALK TO ME!" Mario shouted. "WHY THE PIANO?!"

"It's just a piano, Mario. There's nothing wrong with a simple musical instrument."

"BUT I'M AFRAID OF THEM!" Mario retorted loudly, banging his fists on the pavement. "YOU KNOW THAT'S TRUE!"

While Mario yelled at Luigi, Rocco walked outside and approached him.

"Mario, you literally embarrassed yourself in front-" Rocco started to tell Mario.

"I DON'T CARE! YOU DON'T KNOW ME!"

Mario managed to stand up and stormed off toward the sidewalk next to the freeway.

"Mario! Where are you going?!" Rocco called. "Come back!"

"DON'T FOLLOW ME!" Mario shouted again. Rocco facepalmed himself after Mario disappeared behind the bushes.

"Oh my God... What am I gonna do...?" Rocco sighed.

"He has the Warp Pipe keypad and I can't get home if he uses it!" Luigi replied. "Someone's got to do something!"

"Well, I was supposed to stay with Alex tonight, but..." Rocco mulled it over for a few seconds. "I'm gonna try to find Mario. Will you please look after Alex until he and I are squared away?"

"Sure. Just text me when you find Mario," Luigi said.

"All right. See ya," Rocco proceeded to follow the path he thought Mario took while Luigi walked towards the Parkland Hospital.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Alex's room, he was reading some of his favorite books when a random 15-year-old boy walked into the room; the door was accidentally left open for some reason.

"Uh, who are you?" Alex asked.

"You don't need to know who I am, baldie," the boy answered.

"'Baldie'? Why call me that?" Alex started to feel uncomfortable, knowing that he's gonna be bullied.

"Because I heard that that's what cancer kids are!" the bully chuckled. "You must be the younger version of your grandpa! Hahaha!"

"Stop it!" Alex yelled. "It's not funny!"

"Oh, yes, it is! Actually, I don't what cancer is. Maybe it's just like the flu. What do you think?" the bully taunted.

"It's not the flu!" Alex screamed; he was on the verge of tears. "Leave me alone!"

"But don't you miss your mommy and daddy? Huh? Someone needs to look after this young, balded baby."

"I said, 'Stop it'! Stop!" Alex started flailing around in his blankets.

"There you go! Flap your arms and legs in your bed!" the bully declared. "You know what? How about I play with some of your toys?"

"No! Don't touch it!" Alex saw that the bully was heading to his GameCube located near the window. "Stop!"

* * *

At the same time the bully approached Alex's room, Luigi entered the elevator that would take him to the fifth floor.

"I can't wait to see Alex again," Luigi said to himself. After exiting the elevator, he suddenly heard loud screaming on from his right.

"What's going on over there?" Luigi asked as he slowly walked to where the screams were coming from. "Is that...?"

* * *

"Put it back!" Alex cried. The bully had obtained the GameCube and lifted it above his head.

"No. It's mine now," the bully said smugly. "I got to thank you for giving me a free GameCube; I've always wanted one for several months now." Alex stopped yelling words and resorted to screaming at the top of his lungs, making the bully laugh with glee.

* * *

Finally, Luigi arrived at the doorway leading to Alex's room, and leaned in enough to see Alex being bullied.

"No... Not him..." Luigi murmured as his temper gradually rose up. He barged into the room and pinned the bully against the wall opposite of Alex's bed. The bully shrieked with terror while Alex quickly hid underneath his blankets and continued to scream bloody murder.

"What are you doing?! Get-" the bully started before Luigi put his hand over his mouth.

"First off, shut the freak up! Second, you're gonna tell me what you did to Alex, and I want an honest answer!" Luigi demanded in an angry tone of voice. His yelling scared Alex even more.

"I... I didn't...do anything..." the bully pleaded; he was tearing up at Luigi glaring at him.

"Oh, you didn't do anything? You know what? That's what all bullies say! 'I didn't do anything!' And then they get away with everything without being punished! But I'm NOT letting that happen!" Luigi yelled.

"Do me a huge favor and leave my best buddy alone! If I find out myself or from Alex's parents that you're pestering him again in any way, shape, or form; you're gonna be in for a world of pain even worse than tonight!" Luigi threw the bully to his left so hard that he flew out the door and down the hallway.

"Now leave!" Luigi screamed, pointing his finger forward. "Find your parents and GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS HOSPITAL!" The bully got up and ran away as fast as he could, having been startled by Luigi's outburst.

"Thank you," Luigi said after taking a deep breath. He turned to Alex, who was still screaming and crying. "Are you okay, Alex?" His voice was a bit scratchy from yelling at the bully.

"NO! GET AWAY!" Alex cried.

"Hey. Hey. Buddy. It's okay," Luigi coaxed Alex. He approached Alex and held out his right hand.

"STOP! DON'T HURT ME!"

"Alex. I'm not gonna hurt you. Easy now."

"YES, YOU ARE! GET AWAY!"

"Alex. Alex. Calm down. It's-a me," Luigi slowly pulled the blankets off Alex.

"M-M-Mario...?" Alex looked up to see Luigi in front of him. "LUIGI!" Alex immediately threw his arms around Luigi's neck; Luigi returned the hug.

"Oh, buddy... I'm so sorry you got scared..." Luigi whispered. Alex started crying again but didn't scream this time.

"Y-you screamed a-at m-me!" Alex sobbed.

"I didn't scream at you... It was that boy's fault... Not yours..." Luigi wiped Alex's face of his tears. "It's okay... I'm here now..."

"I'm s-so sc-scared!" Alex hugged Luigi a bit tighter.

"I know... I know you're scared... But it's all over..." Luigi said softly. He lifted Alex off his bed and walked around the room with Alex in his arms.

"Oh, mamma mia..." Luigi said to himself. "I picked the worst time to visit Alex..." After a half-minute, Luigi laid Alex back on his bed; Alex had calmed down a small bit.

"Thank you...for coming..." Alex thanked Luigi.

"You're welcome, buddy," Luigi replied. "I'm always there for you." He sat on a chair to the left of Alex's bed.

"Where's...Daddy?" Alex questioned.

"Your daddy's having dinner with Mario. He asked me to stay with you until you go to sleep."

"Did that boy go away?"

"He's gone for good. I made sure he learned his lesson," Luigi reassured Alex. "But no one's gonna touch you ever again." He got up to close the door before sitting next to Alex again. "Did he break anything?"

"He almost broke the GameCube." Alex pointed to his GameCube lying on its side on the floor. The bully dropped it while Luigi yelled at him, but it didn't get damaged. Luigi picked up the GameCube and put it back where it was before.

"Your GameCube's okay, buddy. It'll still work."

"Thank you," Alex sighed with relief and looked up at the ceiling. "Will you please not leave me?"

"I promise I'll stay with you," Luigi replied before stroking Alex's head. "And I'll make sure your daddy comes back really soon. Okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

Meanwhile, Rocco continued to search for Mario. It's been ten minutes since he stormed off. He texted Mario, "Please answer me, Mario. I need to know where you are."

As soon as he sent the text, Rocco received a text from Luigi that said, "Alex got scared by a bully. I'm staying with him until you come back to the hospital. I'm so sorry." Seeing that text made Rocco tear up a bit, but he pulled himself together after a couple seconds.

Two minutes later, Rocco got a text from Mario saying, "If you want to know where I am, I'm at the courtyard next to the hospital." Rocco wasted no time and headed off to the courtyard. He saw Mario sitting on a bench with his head hung downward and his cap on the ground next to his right shoe.

"There you are. I've been looking all over for the last 15 minutes," Rocco said.

"You shouldn't have followed me..." Mario responded with a hoarse voice; he had shredded his vocal cords from his tantrum at the restaurant.

"But I needed to. I thought you got hit by a car or something." Rocco sat next to Mario. "Why were you even complaining about the piano? What's wrong with it?"

"It's my biggest fear..." Mario replied.

"Wha-" Rocco chuckled with disbelief. "Who in this world is afraid of-" Rocco started to ask before Mario slapped his arm. "Hey! You don't hit me like that!"

"I am TOO afraid of pianos!" Mario protested. "You don't know my phobia!"

"Okay. I get it. You're scared of pianos," Rocco gave in. "But I've never even heard of this so-called phobia. I mean, what is it?"

"It's been going on for so many years," Mario explained. "It was back when I was collecting these Power Stars to restore Princess Peach's castle that I came across this haunted house and there was a grand piano in this one room."

"And it scared you? By what? The sight of it?"

"No. I sat down to play a little song and it growled at me before..." Mario started to tear up. "That damn piano was chomping at me and roaring at me! I've never seen a piano like that!"

"But it's just one haunted piano for crying out loud!" Rocco said. "Why are you so scared of the regular pianos? They're just musical instruments!"

"I... I can't look at them, I can't... I can't stand the sound of them because they sound like someone's slamming their hands on the keys... I can't even touch one because it's gonna eat me...!" Mario complained before looking down at the ground again and crying his eyes out.

"They're not gonna eat you, Mario," Rocco said. "Pianos exist for people to make music. Not for people to run away like a five-year-old." Hearing Rocco say that made Mario riled up again.

"I'm NOT a five-year-old! I am NOT! I'm just afraid of them, OKAY?!" Mario yelled.

"Mario. Chill out. Please," Rocco requested.

"I'll chill out if you just leave!"

"But I want to help you. You need to get over this fear of yours."

"But I don't know how to handle it! It's hard!" Mario whined.

"I understand. I know it's hard. But you can't just stay scared of pianos forever," Rocco said before Mario took a deep breath.

"You're right... Again..." After ten seconds of silence, Mario asked, "Can you leave now? I'll let you know when I'm ready to go home."

"All right. If you don't want to text me, I'll be waiting at the hospital's entrance." Rocco then walked off to the front door, leaving Mario alone in the courtyard again. It took twenty more minutes before Mario met up with Rocco and Luigi and went back to his pad with Luigi shortly thereafter.


	21. 7B - The Third Day

**7B - The Third Day**

At 10:25 AM the next day, Mario had finished prepping for his tee time in about five minutes. This time, he was feeling more confident than the first two days. As always, Rocco gave Mario a last-minute tip before he left for Hole 1.

"I know you're determined to end up with a lower total than yesterday, but just because you're back on track, it doesn't mean you can boast about making as many birdies and/or eagles as possible," Rocco said. "Just play with a lax attitude and don't zone in on the top prize even though they say, 'Eyes on the prize.'"

"Thanks, Rocco," Mario thanked Rocco. "Your tips are making me feel better each day."

"Not a problem. Good luck out there."

For the third day, Mario was playing alongside Diddy Kong and Koopa the Quick, both of which can drive an average of around 204 yards.

For a few seconds after Mario's name was called by the announcer, not only did the spectators cheer for him, but they also chanted his name before quieting down.

Mario's first drive was a bit shorter this time because the wind pulled the ball to the right, stopping it 211 yards downrange. If it weren't for Rocco's tips in the first place, Mario would've hit the ball more to the right; possibly letting it fly over the spectators' heads.

One advantage that Mario had for today was the fact that there were thick clouds that blocked the sun, making it easier to see the pin from far away. After approaching the green prior to his third shot, Mario noticed the terrain was steeply sloped at different points, which could make it tough to get a birdie easily.

"I never thought those guys would change up the green so much like the pins," Mario said to himself. "I guess I'll have to hit it a bit harder."

He took one of Rocco's tips regarding how much power to put on the ball should there be a steep slope, but it didn't make it up all the way, throwing Mario off a small bit.

"Really? This is unfair."

Luckily, Mario managed to hit a par, but he was confused about why the green was changed up this way. For Diddy Kong and Koopa the Quick, they both ended up with a bogey despite playing normally.

"Is it just me, or are my skills diminishing?" Mario asked Diddy Kong.

Because Diddy Kong couldn't speak human, Koopa the Quick translated his answer, "Diddy says, 'You tell me. I'm asking myself the same question.'"

"Maybe they just wanted to make it a bit harder than usual," Mario said. "I kinda understand that."

For the next three holes, Mario noticed that the pins were just a few inches short of the fringe with several steep slopes in the middle and near the hole. He decided to ask Rocco what he thought prior to starting Hole 5.

"I can't answer that, Mario," Rocco stated. "You could be right about them making it difficult for the second half. Just do all you can."

It didn't matter how much Mario tried by the time he finished the front nine; he stood at 42 with Diddy Kong and Koopa the Quick at 44. To the three's surprise, Wario and Waluigi were tied at first with 21.

"How are Wario and Waluigi doing so great?" Mario asked Rocco while checking the scoreboard. "I thought they usually end up with 65 or something by the end of the course."

"Don't worry about it right now, Mario," Rocco replied. "There's no use stopping the tournament just to get answers."

At Hole 11, Mario managed to hit another hole-in-one because even though the pin was placed at the very back, a horizontal slope intersected the hole. Despite that difference, Mario felt relieved and did the V-sign while the crowd was cheering, prompting them to chant his name again.

"At least they love who I am," Mario said to himself while smiling big. It wouldn't last long, though.

After making a double bogey on the next hole due to the pin being place within a mound in the green's center, Mario kept asking himself who changed up the greens and why it happened. This caused him to fall behind a bit more than the front nine.

In fact, it was at Hole 17 that Mario unintentionally stranded his ball in a tall tree on the first shot, costing him a stroke penalty. Combined with the penalty and him stressing about the greens, he accidentally swore loud enough to get the crowd's attention.

He immediately threw his hands up and said, "I didn't mean it, folks. It was just a slip. I'm so sorry."

The final result for Day 3 was Mario standing at 81, in sixth place, with Wario and Waluigi in first and second place with 44 and 45, respectively. He also saw the players in third, fourth, and fifth place stood between 69 and 76.

"I'm not sure if I should congratulate Wario and Waluigi," Mario told Koopa the Quick and Diddy Kong; he was feeling suspicious instead of pleased.

"You should, Mario. I mean, everyone has to show sportsmanship," Koopa the Quick said while Diddy Kong nodded in agreement. Mario reluctantly went up to Wario and Waluigi and shook their hands while complimenting their end results.

"I can't let this shtuff go," Mario muttered under his breath while walking away. "I need to talk with the course owner."


	22. 7C - Manipulation Rumors

**7C - Manipulation Rumors**

Mario and Rocco waited until everyone left the course before going into the clubhouse. From there, they made their way to the owner's office, which was open until 4 PM.

"Don't go in there demanding," Rocco instructed Mario. "I know you have temper problems, but you can't take it out on the owner."

"Can you wait out here, please?" Mario asked.

"Sure."

The owner of the Cheep Cheep Falls course was Grant Morris, a 51-year-old man who was once a professional golfer in the Real-Life Earth before moving to the Mushroom World.

"Good afternoon, sir," Mario greeted Mr. Morris.

"Well, nice to finally meet you, Mario," Mr. Morris returned as Mario sat in front of his desk. "I've been monitoring your progress for the last three days and I'm pretty impressed."

"But you saw how badly I did, right?"

"It wouldn't have been that bad if the greens weren't changed up drastically," Mr. Morris said.

"You know about it too?" Mario questioned.

"How could I not? I overheard some spectators a few hours before the tournament saying that the slopes and mounds were not meant to be put in," Mr. Morris explained. "And before you ask, all of us NEVER planned on manipulating anything to make it harder. All we decided to do was move the pins around each day by a SMALL amount. Whoever messed the greens up also placed the pins at uneven spots."

"To add on to that, one of the players that went before you spotted a faint red light on Hole 2's green," Mr. Morris went on. "He said there wasn't a drone or something that shined a flashlight from above, but that's all he knew."

"Did you check the cameras yet?" Mario asked.

"The reviewers haven't even started collecting the footage," Mr. Morris answered. "They'll look at it all throughout tonight and decide what to do the next morning. I recommend you come back to my office tomorrow just in case new info comes up."

"Thanks, Mr. Morris," Mario said. "Before I go, I want you to understand that I have no intention of failing miserably."

"Mario, it's totally fine. I know you'll make up for it tomorrow," Mr. Morris reassured Mario. "In case you want to know where you stand cumulatively, your overall score is 224 and you're in fifth place. The lowest so far is Wario at 195 with Waluigi in second at 200. There's still a chance for you to finish on top."

Mario let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I'm glad you're just as helpful as Rocco is out there. You know, my golf trainer."

"Well, me and Rocco both have your back," Mr. Morris said while shaking Mario's hand. "Have a nice afternoon, and I'll see you next morning."

While Mario drove him back to his pad, Rocco said, "I just called Alex and told him how good you were doing in the open; he was so happy that he literally jumped all over the place."

"Kinda like me," Mario chuckled. "I guess he's starting to look up to me as a hero like Aqua is even though she's my number-two buddy."

"Number-two? What makes you say that?"

"The truth is both of them are adorable, but I consider Alex to be more special based on his personality," Mario explained. "Aqua's is similar but it's on a slightly lesser level; not that I dislike her. I love her to death like Alex."

"It's also like one of my older friends, Jim Heeding. He was my number-one buddy starting in 1990 until he left for school reasons in 1994. But he did come back for a party at Princess Peach's castle six years later before leaving for good," Mario continued. "Regarding Aqua, as soon as I saw the look in her eyes for the first time, I knew she was going to be my new number-one buddy. She even thought of me as a second father based on how I treated her during the Isle Delfino vacation."

"That's a neat story, Mario," Rocco remarked. "I never knew you had three number-one buddies that succeeded one another."

"That's just life, Rocco. That's what friendships are like," Mario responded.

After sending Rocco back to the Real-Life Earth, Mario went to his living room and checked out three photo albums; each one featured Jim, Aqua, and Alex, respectively. Jim's album consisted of his visits to the Mushroom World starting the week after the Dinosaur Land trip up until 1994, and also included several pictures from Peach's party three years ago.

He started to tear up at Aqua's album, whose photos consisted of those taken after Bowser, his son, and the Koopalings were defeated.

"I'm sorry, piccolo amico... (_I'm sorry, little buddy_...)" Mario trembled. "I love you a lot, but I have a different number-one buddy now..."

He finally lost it when he got to the album with Leah and Alex's pictures in it. He barely got through the first page before collapsing on his sofa and crying his eyes out. His breakdown went on for ten minutes before he pulled himself together and finished looking at Alex's album.

"Maybe watching TV will make me feel better." Mario switched on his LCD TV and watched replay broadcasts of the last three days of the Cheep Cheep Falls Open. While rewatching his performance, Mario took out a notepad from his study and logged his mistakes he made so that he'll remember to correct them tomorrow.

"Those greens may have been screwed up, but that's not gonna stop me from finishing strong," Mario beamed with confidence. "I can do it."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Credit goes to mariobroultimate again for the references to Princess Aqua and part of the events of his ongoing fanfic, "Super Mario Sunshine: A Sprite of Light". Thank you so much.**


	23. 8A - Make it Count

_**Chapter 8**_

**8A - Make It Count**

It's 7:45 AM on July 31, 2003: the fourth and final day of the Cheep Cheep Falls Open. Mario got up earlier than normal because the course owner, Mr. Morris, suggested that he come to his office as soon as he arrived at Cheep Cheep Falls.

Before Mario left out the door, he whisked Rocco into the Mushroom World yet again and drove off to the course, wasting no time at all.

"Do you think they fixed the greens up, Rocco?" Mario asked.

"I hope so. But it would be hard work if they decided to," Rocco answered.

Mario and Rocco arrived at the course at 8:40 AM, which is an hour and 20 minutes before Mario's tee time at exactly 10 AM. They then made their way to Mr. Morris's office, which opened at 8:30.

Mario knocked on the open door, prompting Mr. Morris to say, "Come on in, Mario. Good morning to you."

"Thank you," Mario said as he sat in front of the desk. "You got any updates?"

"Not just an update; it's a huge and IMPORTANT update," Mr. Morris started. "The camera crew stayed here past their closing time to review every single camera that captured yesterday's games. By the way, I paid them overtime before they officially left. Anyway, remember when I told you about the red light that appeared on some of the greens?"

Mario nodded in agreement.

"It turned out that there were automatic magnets situated inside the soil that captured the balls and drug them towards the pins. We also carefully dug up powerful vacuums that were embedded in the ground; they apparently sucked in parts of the greens and made the resultant steep slopes."

"How long ago did this happen?" Mario asked.

"It may have been between the second and third days," Mr. Morris replied. "Can I tell you who was behind all that bull?"

"Sure."

"It was you and Luigi's rivals, Wario and Waluigi." Mario pumped his arms up with victory.

"I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT WAS THEM!" Mario exclaimed.

"We actually left them a voicemail last evening and told them about what they did and how that was an unfair advantage over all the other players," Mr. Morris went on. "As a result, we disqualified them for the rest of the open, which means you are now in third place with Luigi on top with 210 and Yoshi in second with 218. It's going to be a close game today, but all of our staff as well as me know you're going to make it."

Mario teared up a bit during Mr. Morris's explanation. "You... You're sick... You know that, right...?"

"Thank you, Mario," Mr. Morris replied. "I've always been an excellent guy my whole life and I told myself never to play unfair."

After a few seconds of silence, Mario asked, "Were the greens fixed up?"

"Unfortunately, no. Even if we started earlier this morning, it would take at least two weeks to do all that. You're gonna have to try really hard to overcome those slopes and misplaced pins."

"Thanks again, Mr. Morris," Mario said as he stood back up. "It really means a lot."

"Don't mention it, Mario," Mr. Morris responded. "All I ask is that you make it count. I wish you the best of luck."

Mario let out a sigh of relief after closing the office door. "I guess I should go to the range now. Rocco, leave me by myself and I'll come back at around 9:30."

After Rocco dropped Mario off at the driving range, the spectators began pouring into the course. As it was the last day, a total of at least 45,000 people were expected to attend.

While practicing on the range, Mario said to himself, "I think I don't need the strategies Rocco taught me today. I should do this on my own even though he's gonna be watching me."

At 9:35 AM, Mario finished up his practice swings and took his clubs back to the golf cart parking area; Rocco was waiting patiently all this time.

"Are you sure you want to drive to the tee box this early?" Rocco questioned. "We can have some coffee if you want."

"No, thanks," Mario replied. "I had a protein shake and an orange before I picked you up."

Without hesitation, Mario and Rocco boarded the same golf cart they used to drive to the driving range and took off to Hole 1 for the last time. Once at the tee box, they stayed in the cart and talked with other until Mario's fellow players arrived. For today, Luigi and Red Yoshi were scheduled to play alongside Mario.

About a minute before the announcer called up Mario's name, Red Yoshi pulled Mario aside and said, "I know you've been told 'Good luck on this final round,' but I want you to know that it doesn't matter if you happen to end up in last place. You'll win something that's most important of all: the love and respect of every single member of this audience." She gave Mario a quick hug.

"Thank you, Red Yoshi," Mario thanked Red Yoshi before he collected his driver and one of his balls. He promptly teed up his ball upon the announcer calling his name.

Again, due to the wind coming in from behind, Mario's first drive went out farther than normal, stopping at 220 yards downrange. After Luigi and Red Yoshi drove their balls, which ended up approximately five to six yards further than Mario's ball, Mario made sure to align himself in a straight line between him and the pin and applied a slightly more than adequate amount of power on his swing.

Even though it was partly cloudy, the sun's glare made it hard for Mario to track his ball, so all he could do was pray silently that it was a great shot. The audience woahed in anticipation and cheered loudly seconds later because Mario's ball landed on the hill of one of the green's slopes and slid up the other hill before sinking in the cup. Mario had made another eagle. He decided not to celebrate now because he was just getting started.

Throughout the next four holes, it was clear that Mario completely corrected his mistakes as he made four consecutive birdies. In addition, it was pure luck that his ball wasn't stopped by the greens' slopes. Prior to Hole 6, Mario met up with Luigi.

"What an effort so far, bro," Luigi said while patting Mario's shoulder. "I'm getting prouder by the second."

"It's just luck, Luigi," Mario responded. "I never studied every hole and determined the correct way to the pin."

"I understand. Just keep it up."

Because Hole 6's fairway curved to the right, Mario positioned himself slightly off-center before taking his swing. The audience on the right side stood back a small bit as Mario drove his ball over the trees and landed on the green before stopping short of a mound where the pin was situated within. Mario placed his hand on his heart in shock, as he knew it was the first time on a Par 4 hole that he made it on the green in one shot.

Even though he was shaking prior to his eagle putt, he managed to putt in a straight line and sink his ball with no deviations. On Hole 9, Mario was in for even better luck because the front-blowing wind allowed his first drive to soar 230 yards out and the second shot landed on the fringe before bouncing into the cup.

The audience cheered louder than before, given that it was Mario's first-ever double eagle. He sat next to the scoreboard after the hole was over and cried due to feeling mixed emotions. Luigi approached Mario and asked what was wrong.

"I... I'm f-feeling s-sad a-and happy a-at the sa-ame t-time..." Mario wept. "I-I know w-why I'm h-happy... B-But... But I-I don't kn-know why the h-heck I'm s-sad... I'm j-just feeling th-that w-way..."

"I understand, Mario. I know there are three reasons why people cry and you're going through the third reason, which is not that common," Luigi said. "But just take it easy for the next 50 minutes, okay?" Mario nodded before Luigi walked off.


	24. 8B - An Awesome Finish

**8B - An Awesome Finish**

According to the scoreboard, Mario stood in second place with 26 while Yoshi was in first with 25. After Mario composed himself completely by the end of the hour-long break, he took one last look at the scoreboard before walking off to Hole 10.

"Mr. Morris was right. It IS gonna be a close game," Mario said to himself. Despite making a par on Hole 10, Mario made up for it by repeating the same hole-in-one on the next hole because he remembered how to do it based on the notes he wrote down last night. He wasn't fazed this time, however.

Hole 13 was another eagle; which Mario thought was impossible because the pin was directly next to the fringe that separated the green from the fairway; he didn't want to hit with too much power. Luckily, he sunk it in like a normal chip-in. Starting with Hole 14 onward, the audience chanted Mario's name prior to him teeing his ball because they were confident that he was gonna win it all even though Mario was half sure and half unsure.

Due to him accidentally losing his ball in a river in the center of the fairway, Mario ended up with a bogey on Hole 16, but he was totally cool with it. To his surprise, Mario made another eagle on Hole 17. Although that green had a lot of high bumps all over, the ball rolled past them easily before it went in the cup. Finally, Mario made like what happened at the end of the second day and chipped in for a birdie on Hole 18; however, the ball did not nearly stop short before sinking in. Mario breathed a sigh of relief after he made the birdie but knew that it wasn't over just yet.

There was a 20-minute break before the awards ceremony, where the top three players will be awarded based on their cumulative scores. The remaining twenty-eight players stood in three rows for a couple photos before they took their seats in the front bleachers surrounding a flat podium. The announcer walked towards the podium to the applause of the audience and turned on his microphone.

"Good afternoon, everyone. What an exciting and competitive golf open we've had over the last four days," the announcer stated. "To all the hard-working players who gave it their all and drove those balls towards victory, I congratulate you." The audience applauded in a mellow manner.

"Without further ado, it is my honor to reveal the top three competitors with the lowest scores added up all together," the announcer continued. "As you all know; there's a bronze, silver, and gold trophy for each of the three places. We will hand each of them out one by one. So, are you ready, folks?" The audience applauded with a little more enthusiasm.

"All right. With a total score of 290, the bronze trophy with a cash prize of 10,000 Coins goes to..." A drumroll over the speakers was played for three seconds. "Yoshi!"

The audience cheered at the same volume as when the announcer was about to start to reveal the third-place winner. Yoshi immediately walked up to the podium at the same time a Cheep Cheep Falls employee walked in from the left to hand Yoshi his trophy.

"Congratulations, Yoshi," the announcer praised Yoshi before handing him his cheque. "Here's a cheque for 10,000 Coins."

"Thank you so much, sir," Yoshi answered while shaking the announcer's hand. He then waved to the audience for a couple seconds before walking back to his seat.

"What a good start so far. I'm shaking a small bit, but I can tough it up." The audience giggled at the announcer's comment, but Mario did not laugh.

"Next up is the second-place winner, who will receive a silver trophy and a cash prize of 75,000 Coins. Now that's a lot of money, eh?" the announcer said. In response, the audience responded with either "Yes", "Sure", and "Yeah".

"With a total score of 278, the second-place winner is..." The drumroll was turned up a small bit and went on for five seconds. "Luigi Franco Mario!"

As the audience cheered a little louder than earlier, Luigi stood up slowly and casually walked to the podium. He was shaking too, but it was a bit more than the announcer.

"No offense, Luigi, but you were a tad bit short of winning first just like when you were cut out of _Super Mario 64_ at the last second!" the announcer commented. Luigi and the audience laughed hard at the joke, but Mario didn't laugh again because of him obsessing about not winning first place; he was lamenting on his bad start and how he did on the third day.

"Shut the front door, please," Luigi chuckled. "You know I'm just as equal as Mario is."

"I know, Luigi. I was just kidding," the announcer said while the silver trophy was given to Luigi by the random employee. "Anyway, very well done to you. We're all proud of your efforts."

The audience cheered again as Luigi received his 75,000 Coin cheque and exclaimed, "Thank you so much, everyone! Thank you for your support!" He then walked back to his seat.

"Oh boy... The moment of truth..." the announcer said with anticipation. "I know you all are holding your breaths right now, but it'll be quick. I promise." The audience laughed again.

"Okay. Usually, the first-place winner gets a gold trophy and a cheque for 200,000 Coins, but because he came back at the last moment after getting off to a rough start, we've decided to upgrade the gold trophy to a platinum trophy! How about that?" Again, the audience cheered in response.

"So... If you all are ready...here we go..." the announcer took a five-second break to take a deep breath. "The first-place winner...with a top prize of 200,000 Coins...and a sophisticated platinum trophy...is..." The drumroll was turned up even louder, making everyone including the announcer tense.

Meanwhile, Mario clasped his hands together and prayed silently, "Please, God... I beg of you... Please give me a flipping sign..."

After five seconds, the announcer murmured, "I can't believe I'm gonna say his name..." Another five seconds passed before the announcer called out the winner's name.

"MARIO ARISTIDE MARIO!"

The audience suddenly stood up and gave Mario a standing ovation with four confetti cannons shooting tons of confetti in the air. In addition, the main theme from _Super Mario 64 DS_ was played over the speakers.

As soon as the audience started their ovation, Mario fainted on the ground, prompting Luigi to rush over and pick him up. The audience suddenly stopped cheering when they saw Mario pass out and gasped with concern; the song was paused too.

"Oh dear," the announcer said while turning to Mario. "It looks like Mario just passed out right on the spot. Is he okay?" Before everyone knew it, Mario woke up and the audience resumed their standing ovation while the song was restarted. Mario immediately started crying really hard and couldn't move a muscle. Luigi helped Mario onto the podium and sat him down for the time being.

"It's okay, bro," Luigi coaxed Mario in a soft voice. "You nailed it. You did so awesome."

"Am... A-am I...dr-dreaming...?" Mario sobbed.

"No. This is all real," Luigi answered before turning to the announcer. "Sir, Mario's fine. He's just totally shaken."

"That's understandable," the announcer said. "Could you please help Mario up? He's yet to be given his trophy." The random employee rushed in with the platinum trophy at the same time Luigi slowly stood Mario back up. He was still crying, but not as much as after he fainted. Luigi took the trophy before handing it to Mario.

"Sir..." Mario started.

"Yes, Mario?"

"Can... C-can I s-say a f-few words...?"

"I'd love to hear them," the announcer responded before handing the microphone to Mario. Luigi stood to the left of Mario while he gave his speech.

"Hello, everyone..." Mario said after taking a deep breath. "I would...belt out my...catchphrase with joy...but I'm not feeling like it..." The audience gasped again.

"No! I didn't mean it that way! I'm just feeling a whole bunch of...emotions right now..." Mario protested. "First off, I'm VERY thankful to have participated...in this tournament... It had been four years...ago since I last played golf... And I never thought...that I would get back in the swing of things...literally." Everyone chuckled at the pun.

"As soon as I saw the promo for the open, I was hesitant at first, but I mustered up the courage to try out. But I knew I couldn't do it without help. So, I asked Luigi here to give me some tips, but he only knew the basics, so I decided to go with Plan B and seek help from a professional in the Real-Life Earth. You know, the other world like ours?"

"So, there was this young adult by the name of Rocco Peterson, who was shocked at my appearance in real-life, but immediately accepted my request to train with him for the tournament. And I want to thank Rocco so much with all my heart. I can't repay him for that." The audience applauded in response while Rocco whistled loudly from the stands.

"But as we got started and did a couple sessions, there came some unexpected news. You see, when I signed up, I had the intention of showing everyone how good and super I was at golf even though I was struggling so badly. So, what Rocco told me that afternoon was..." Mario started to get emotional again as he was about to tell Alex's story.

"What R-Rocco told m-me was that h-his three-year-old s-son Alex... He... He h-had...ALL leukemia...!" Some of the audience members started crying while Luigi teared up a small bit.

"W-we knew th-that Alex w-was g-gonna d-die if n-not treated well... A-and that h-hit me s-so hard l-like someone sh-shot a b-bullet in m-my chest...! I h-had to change m-my plans..." By now, Mario was sobbing again, and his face was covered in tears. He stopped for a couple seconds before resuming his speech.

"I promised m-myself that whatever I-I win...I will...g-give one-fifths...of m-my prize m-money...to A-Alex's h-hospital's c-cancer charity... And now...h-here I a-am...about t-to m-make my c-commitment come tr-true..."

The audience cheered again while the announcer handed Mario his 200,000 Coin cheque. Mario cried a bit harder at the sight of his cheque.

"Th-this cheque... Th-this i-is...so l-lovely..." Mario cried. "Not o-only a-am I th-thanking R-Rocco for h-his t-tips...and advice...b-but... L-Luigi...?"

"Yes, Mario?" Luigi responded.

"I o-owe it a-all t-to you...!" Mario went and hugged Luigi, causing the audience and the announcer to aww with affection and applaud again. "Y-You're m-my s-saving gr-grace...! I-I l-love you...!"

"I love you too, bro," Luigi whispered before Mario let go of him. Mario then proceeded to go on with his speech.

"Oh, m-mamma m-mia... I-I'm so h-happy...! More h-happy than I-I've ever b-been in m-my life...!" Mario stowed his cheque in his overalls pocket. "I-In conclusion...I th-thank every s-single o-one of you... Y-You have g-guided m-me...this f-far... I c-couldn't have d-done it...w-without y-you... And... I-I..." Mario stopped to think of how to close his speech.

After three seconds, he thrusted his trophy toward the sky and screamed at the top of his lungs, "THIS IS FOR YOU, ALEX PETERSON! WE LOVE YOU!" The audience gave Mario another standing ovation before he cried, "Th-thank you... Th-thank y-you..."

After Mario handed the microphone back to the announcer, Mario hunched over slightly and Luigi helped him back to his seat.

"Wow," the announcer said while wiping his cheeks; he was moved by Mario's speech. "Just wow. I can't describe how moved I was. What an incredible story. Mario, I give you all the congratulations and praise in the whole world to you." The audience cheered one more time before the announcer said, "Well, ladies and gentlemen, this concludes our awards ceremony. Have a wonderful afternoon and thank you so much for your time. Goodbye."

Mario was the first to leave the bleachers with Luigi walking beside him. He found Rocco standing next to a white tent and gave him a big hug. "Th-thank you...s-so much...!"

"Any time, Mario," Rocco replied. "We both did it. In fact, Luigi did it with us."

"Yeah. I sure did," Luigi chimed in.

"Hey, Mario!" a familiar female voice called out from behind Mario. He turned to see Peach walk up to him.

"P-Princess P-Peach...?"

"I got to say, you're the champion of golf!" Peach remarked. "Don't ask if I'm sure. I swear you ARE the champion."

Mario stood still for a moment to process everything again and set his trophy on the grass. Without Peach knowing, Mario rushed up and kissed her on the lips. Both kissed each other for several seconds before Mario got emotional again and ran away.

"I've never seen Mario so emotional in my life," Peach said. "I guess this is what happens when you win something big and you can't understand what's going on for a long while."

"You can say that again," Rocco responded just as Mario disappeared behind the clubhouse. "It happened to me the first time I won the PGA championship. I was also emotional, but I didn't faint in front of everyone." Peach, Luigi, and Rocco laughed for a few seconds.

"Sorry. I shouldn't laugh," Rocco apologized. "Mario doesn't handle moments like this well. When I heard of Mario having anger and anxiety issues, I was confused because I thought that he was a happy-go-lucky hero like you, Luigi."

"For the most part, he is," Luigi said while picking up Mario's trophy. "But there's another side of you that shows who you really are. No one's perfect after all."

"Exactly," Rocco responded before looking where Mario was running toward. "What a heroic golf athlete. Confident, all about business, big-hearted, and a role model for those in need."

Fast forwarding four days later, Mario went to the National Bank southwest of Toad Town and cashed in his 200,000 Coin cheque for a quarter million dollars, which was put on another cheque. He then proceeded to deposit all but $50,000 in his account.

Afterwards, he visited the Parkland Hospital's American Cancer Society office and handed over his cheque to the ACS director, who gave him a huge thank-you for his generosity and guaranteed that he'll be put on the front page of the Dallas News paper. During the whole day Mario spent to give to the charity, he felt so proud of himself and kept thinking about Alex and how he thought the world of him.

It all paid off for Mario. What was once an unsure decision to show his friends how good he was at golf turned out to be a victorious outcome for those suffering from cancer; especially Alex Peterson.


	25. 8C - How's Alex Doing?

**8C - How's Alex Doing?**

It's 5:05 PM on August 31, 2003. Inside his room in the Parkland Hospital, Alex was watching a movie on his TV. Suddenly, Alex heard someone knock on his open door and paused the movie.

"Who is it?" Alex asked while slowly getting out of his bed.

"It's-a me!" a familiar voice called out.

"Mario?"

Right on cue, Mario showed himself and kneeled before holding his arms out. "Hello, Alex!"

Alex squealed with joy as he ran up to give Mario a hug. "I missed you, Mario!"

"I missed you too!" Mario lifted Alex up and spun him around twice; Alex giggled while being spun around.

After setting Alex back down on the floor, Mario asked, "How's my number-one buddy doing?"

"I'm great!" Alex replied. "The doctor told me that the cancer in me is almost gone!"

Mario gasped with disbelief. "No way. Are you joking?"

"No, I'm not."

Mario leaped in the air while holding his right fist toward the ceiling and exclaimed, "Wahoo! That's my Alex!" He then held out his palms and said, "Double high-fives!" Alex high-fived Mario twice with both hands before Mario kneeled again.

"So, how did the doctor find out your cancer is almost gone?" Mario asked.

"They did an x-ray and saw the thing in me is this small," Alex answered while placing his index finger and thumb together.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you! You did a great job, buddy!" Alex high-fived Mario again before Mario looked around the room. "I see your mommy and daddy aren't here. Where are they?"

"They're at home with Leah," Alex replied before sitting on Mario's right knee; Mario then put his arm around him. "Mommy and Daddy don't see me every day. The nurses take care of me almost all the time."

"I understand. You do miss them, right?" Mario asked.

"Yes, I do. But I'm okay with being alone," Alex said.

"How about this? Would you like for me to stay with you until your bedtime?" Mario offered. Alex's eyes widened a bit.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! I don't like to see you lonely. You need someone to look after you," Mario explained.

"Okay. You can stay with me," Alex said with a smile.

In response, Mario shouted, "Yippee!" and lifted Alex up again. "We're gonna have some fun!"

"Thank you for coming over," Alex thanked Mario.

"You're welcome, buddy. So, what do you want do today?"

"Um... How about hide-and-seek?" Alex requested.

"Oh boy! I love that game!" Mario exclaimed with glee. "Me and Luigi used to do it a lot when we were kids."

"That's neat."

"Now, before we begin, please be careful," Mario instructed Alex. "This is a very big hospital and I don't want you to get lost."

"Okay."

"What should I count to, Alex?" Mario asked.

"Count to twenty, please," Alex replied.

"Okey-dokey! That should give you plenty of time to find a hiding spot," Mario said. "Are you ready to play?"

"I'm ready!"

"All right-y! Let's-a go!" Mario declared just as Alex went out of his room. He hung a right at the same time Mario started counting to twenty at a slow pace. It wasn't long before Alex found a door that led to a huge flight of stairs. He proceeded to carefully go downstairs to the fourth floor.

After Alex exited the staircase room, a random nurse saw him and asked, "What are you doing over here?"

"I'm playing hide-and-seek with a friend," Alex answered.

"Oh, how fun. Well, I hope he finds you soon," the nurse said. "Your parents might get worried about you."

"Thanks. Bye," Alex bid the nurse goodbye, who continued down the hall. "Where do I hide?"

* * *

"Ready or not, here I go!" Back in Alex's room, Mario was ready to find where Alex is hiding. He exited the room and started walking to his left. It's key that Mario should not make too much noise; otherwise, Alex would know that Mario's nearby. The same goes with Alex; if he accidentally makes a noise loud enough for Mario to hear, he will have given away his hiding spot.

"Oh, Alex! Where are you?" Mario called at a low tone of voice. He made sure not to search in the patients' rooms since it would be wrong for Alex to hide in any one of them. Mario figured that Alex could have hidden underneath a receptionist's desk, behind a big potted plant, or inside some sort of unknown room.

After five minutes of walking around the fifth floor, Mario couldn't find Alex. "Oh, mamma mia. I'm starting to get a bit worried."

* * *

Meanwhile, Alex walked up and down the main hall of the fourth floor to find the perfect hiding spot. Suddenly, he came up with an idea. "I got it! I'll go in there!"

Alex wasted no time and went straight for the "Games and Entertainment" room where he was given his personalized GameCube bundle. He then hid behind the cabinet beneath the TV, which was where the hospital's GameCube was set up.

* * *

Back up on the fifth floor, Mario stopped for a few seconds to think of where Alex is hiding before finally figuring it out. "Oh! I know where he is!" Mario immediately went to the staircase and made his way to the fourth floor.

Even though he knew where Alex was hiding, he called out, "Where, oh where is my number-one buddy?" Within several seconds, he came across the "Games and Entertainment" room and slowly opened the door before tiptoeing inside. Mario crouched down and scanned his surroundings because he knew Alex was sitting down in his hiding spot.

Mario eventually saw Alex's feet from underneath the TV cabinet and slowly crawled to the cabinet. He then stood up slowly and looked through the gap between the cabinet and the wall; Alex was sitting within the gap and didn't know Mario was standing in front of him. Mario extended his arms into the gap and waited a couple seconds before tickling Alex.

"There you are, Alex!" Mario said as Alex came out from behind the cabinet. He was laughing so much from being tickled.

"Yay! You found me!" Alex exclaimed as he hopped twice before doing the V-sign with his right hand. Mario chuckled and did the V-sign too before hugging Alex again.

"I love you, Mario," Alex said.

"I love you too, buddy," Mario replied softly. "You did very good. I knew you were gonna hide in here."

"Because I love to play video games!"

"You sure do!" Mario gave Alex another high-five before stating, "I guess it's my turn to hide now."

"Can we start again from my room, please?" Alex asked.

"Of course! We can go wherever you want as long as you're careful around here."

As Alex nodded in agreement, Mario offered, "You wanna go for a ride?"

"Yeah!"

"All right-y! Up you go!" Mario proceeded to lift Alex onto his shoulders. "Okay. Hold on tight."

Mario exited the "Games and Entertainment" room with Alex before starting off to his room.

"You must be great at hide-and-seek," Mario remarked. "Even greater than Luigi when he was the hider."

Both giggled at the comment as they continued down the hall to the elevator. Mario and Alex were in for a fun afternoon together.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**And that's a wrap for "Golfing Struggles", guys. I hope you all enjoyed it. Stay tuned for more game adaptations and/or original stories in the coming days, and thanks again to mariobroultimate for inspiring me to become a better Fanfiction creator. This is nintendoscript15 signing out.**


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